SMcKenzie Consulting, LLC

Susan (Susie) Lopez McKenzie, P.E.

susie@smckenzieconsulting.com

214-686-6056

Professional Engineer Specializing in UIC Reservoir Evaluations for EPA Region 6

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6/The Cadmus Group - 22 years

  • EPA Technical Expertise: Served as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 (EPA R6) National UIC Well Program engineering expert.

  • Reservoir Simulation Evaluations: Reviewed and recommended approval of Class I UIC no migration petitions delineating hazardous waste plume boundaries, pressure buildup modeling, geology, area of review, mechanical integrity testing and well construction.

  • UIC Disposal Well Analysis: Analyzed for compliance (1) Class I and Class II regulatory required injection well testing and cased hole production logs and (2) Pressure transient reservoir testing and Hall Plots to resolve disposal well pressure issues; Planned and directed field testing activities.

  • Class I UIC Guidelines and Procedures: Developed EPA R6 (1) technical review procedures; (2) falloff testing guidelines; and (3) no migration petition guidelines for Class I restricted hazardous waste disposal wells.

  • Technical Expert and Proposed Legislation: Technical lead on EPA UIC national technical workgroup projects, including a national effort on injection induced seismicity and served as EPA R6 technical reviewer of proposed draft Class VI injection well regulations for CO2 geologic sequestration.

  • Training and Presenter: Prepared and instructed UIC technical training courses for EPA nationally and various States UIC staff covering pressure falloff testing, step rate tests, area of review evaluations, production logging, and induced seismicity. Presented at several technical conferences and town meetings.

  • Technical Communication Development: Prepared deficiency notices to operators, technical fact sheets and regulatory responses in conjunction with National and State regulatory technical decisions.

  • Technical Regulatory and On-Site Witness and Presenter: Testified at public hearings on behalf of EPA R6; witnessed field well testing and plugging activities for EPA R6.

Oil and Gas Reservoir/Production/Reservoir Simulation Experience

Denbury Resources Inc., Plano, TX; Oryx Energy/Sun E&P (currently Occidental) - 17 years

  • Field Optimization: Prepared, presented, and coordinated multiple well reviews with Asset team; provided injection targets, identified uplift opportunities by optimizing existing artificial lift and resolving water handling restrictions.

  • Secondary and Tertiary Production Field Surveillance: Performed surveillance evaluations of production and injection well performance involving production logs, radioactive tracer, and pressure transient analysis.

  • Well Optimization: Identified, assessed, implemented, and supervised recompletions, workovers, sidetracks and plugging operations.

  • CO2-P/A Monitoring: Evaluated plugged wells for CO2 monitoring program.

  • Anthropogenic CO2: Built template for annual tax reduction reports (45Q) related to anthropogenic CO2.

  • Operational Expertise: Engineered production operations including wellwork, recompletions, artificial lift, surface fluid handling facilities, as well as capital and lease operating expense budgets.

  • Field Development Simulations: Performed computer simulation of pressure transient responses to determine oil in place and development opportunity of newly discovered fields.


Education, Certifications, Awards, Memberships

  • Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK - BS in Mechanical Engineering

  • Registered Professional Engineer - Oklahoma; Former EPA R6 Compliance Inspector

  • 2013 National EPA Science Achievement Award for Water Quality for induced seismicity report related to injection wells; 2008 EPA Region 6 Bronze Medal for effort to broaden and improve EPA and State technical expertise nationally in the regulation of hazardous waste injection wells

  • Member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers