Environmental Stewardship : EOG Resources, Inc.


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				EOG Home > Corporate Responsibility > Environmental Stewardship Environmental Stewardship EOG’s Commitment to Safety and the Environment Safety and Environmental Policies Safety and Environmental Management Safety and Environmental Training Programs Spill Prevention Program and Spill Contingency Plans Crisis Management Plan Environmental Stewardship During the Well Construction Process Environmental Stewardship During the Production Process Wetland Mitigation Bank Recognition EOG’s Commitment to Safety and the Environment Respect for, and adherence to, sound safety and environmental practices are an important facet of EOG’s corporate culture. Embedded in all aspects of our operations, this responsibility is shared by every employee throughout the United States, Canada, Trinidad, the United Kingdom and China. One of the most active drillers in both the United States and Canada, our company primarily explores for and produces an inherently clean burning fuel, natural gas, as well as crude oil, condensate and natural gas liquids. EOG is recognized in the industry as innovative and creative, an organization that has a demonstrated track record of identifying and extracting natural resources which have become increasingly more challenging to capture and produce. We are never satisfied with the way things have always been done, either at our company or in our industry. As we strive to continually improve both our techniques and technology, we maintain a sharp focus on sound safety and environmental practices and procedures. We are a highly collaborative organization, constantly learning from each other and looking out for others. We adhere to rules and regulations not only because it is required by law, but, more importantly, because it’s the right thing to do. On a daily basis, we take the necessary steps to safeguard the health and well being of our fellow employees, neighbors and customers, as well as the communities where we live and work. This mindset of acting in a socially responsible manner has been instrumental in our company’s success in the past. It is part of the prudent business strategy we have executed and it will continue to be just as important in the future. Each of EOG’s operating areas has environmental goals, which are taken into consideration along with the company’s overall environmental performance during the regular performance appraisals of EOG managers who have operational responsibilities. EOG demonstrates its commitment to sound safety and environmental practices through policies, programs and business processes that include: Safety and Environmental Policies Every employee is familiar with EOG’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, which covers a wide range of business practices and procedures. EOG’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics includes a Workplace Safety and Security and Protection of the Environment. In addition to the requirements in this policy statement, specific objectives and activities are spelled out in our Safety and Environmental Policy. Top of Page Safety and Environmental Management EOG has implemented programs and business processes for managing safety and environmental matters within our business, with a focus on the assignment of responsibilities, sound risk management and decision-making, efficient and cost-effective planning and operations, legal compliance throughout all our operations and continuous improvement in our programs and practices. Our safety and environmental management processes are based on a goal–setting philosophy rather than a regimented and prescriptive approach to operations and business activity. We set broad safety and environmental expectations and provide a framework within which management can achieve our safety and environmental goals in a systematic way, while allowing sufficient flexibility for our operating area offices to achieve their goals in a manner that best suits their particular operations. Top of Page Safety and Environmental Training Programs At EOG, knowing what to do and how to do it is critical to our strong, consistent performance. That’s why the company provides initial, periodic and refresher safety and environmental training to employees, contractors, visitors, vendors and other personnel who may work at or visit EOG’s facilities. This training addresses operating procedures, safe work practices, emergency procedures, orientation programs and supervisor training. Also included is regulatory and system-specific training. Examples of the training programs include: Online Safety Training Basic mandatory safety training courses are available online to all EOG employees and contractors who operate our facilities. To maintain an emphasis on safety, refresher programs are offered on a regular basis. Safety Teambuilding We provide safety teambuilding training for contract crews across the scope of our operations. Safety Leadership Training A two–day safety leadership training program for all EOG supervisors, as well as consultants and contractor supervisors, provides in–depth analysis and application of safety procedures, focusing on how accidents can be prevented. A core element of the program is gaining an understanding of EOG’s commitment to safety matters. The program is updated regularly so that participants find it insightful and instructive each time they attend a session. EOG Senior Management Safety Training Begun in the spring of 2007, the purpose of our safety program for operating area senior management is to reinforce EOG’s safety practices and goals at the highest level in the organization. Safety and Environmental Conference Each year, EOG hosts an internal two–day safety and environmental conference for employees from across its operations. Topics are diverse, ranging from drug testing of contractors and employees, to creating waste management plans to discussions regarding flowline integrity and maintenance plans. Special sessions, such as those dealing with revisions to EOG’s safe practices manual, are included. In addition, an employee from each of our operating areas makes a 20–minute presentation on recent safety and environmental developments in his/her respective region. Safety and Environmental Excellence Awards Every year, EOG recognizes projects generated by operations employees that further enhance the environment or the safety of EOG’s workplace and the community with Safety and Environmental Excellence Awards. The winning entries demonstrate the positive impact new ideas are having on EOG’s business by promoting and increasing awareness of safety and environmental matters. Top of Page Spill Prevention Program and Spill Contingency Plans EOG employees continuously work to ensure that wastes and hazardous materials are identified and their associated risks are understood and managed. Our company’s goal is to progressively eliminate the risks that wastes and hazardous materials pose to EOG employees, contractors, the community and the environment. Pollution prevention is addressed by EOG through various plans that are prepared and maintained by employees in its operating areas. Developed with the primary goal of preventing the occurrence of pollution and other contamination, they include spill prevention and countermeasure plans, waste management plans and flowline integrity plans whenever practical. EOG also seeks to prevent pollution by minimizing emissions to the air. Our experienced personnel also seek to develop innovative ways to minimize waste and air emissions throughout our operations. In accordance with the National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program, EOG volunteered to conduct a Command Post Exercise to simulate a possible discharge of oil at a location called Nine Mile Point in Aransas Bay, Texas in September 2007. EOG coordinated the drill with the United States Coast Guard, the Texas General Land Office and other state and local stakeholders in the Corpus Christi, Texas area. The primary focus of the drill was the exercise and evaluation of command control processes designed for the effective implementation, management and accountability of simulated field resources that may be utilized during an emergency response. In addition, it allowed for the effective evaluation of the United States Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi Area Contingency Plan and industry response plans. Under the National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program requirements, the completion of this industry–led exercise satisfied OPA 90 mandated federal oil pollution response exercise requirements. Top of Page Crisis Management Plan Each of EOG’s operating areas develops and maintains a written plan that provides a framework for rapid and effective operating area response to emergency situations. These plans tie into our corporate Crisis Management Plan, which addresses EOG’s overall corporate response. This framework helps ensure that a response to an incident provides the greatest protection to the public, EOG employees and the environment. Each operating area’s plan and our Crisis Management Plan are frequently updated and periodic drills are conducted to ensure that EOG personnel are prepared to respond to any incident which might occur. Top of Page Environmental Stewardship during the Well Construction Process We are conscientious about minimizing the impact that our drilling operations have on the environment. We make each well location as small as possible and, through the use of directional drilling, are often able to use the same location for more than one well. After wells are drilled, the sites are further downsized to the minimum acreage necessary for production operations. When acreage is released because it is no longer needed, it is returned to its natural state through re–vegetation or maintained pursuant to the terms of the specific lease agreement. EOG employees continually seek innovative ways to improve our drilling and producing processes. Top of Page Environmental Stewardship During the Production Process EOG employees consistently evaluate and implement new technology that complements our existing production operations. For example, EOG utilizes Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems at many of our operations. Designed with multiple safety alarms, the SCADA systems monitor our operations remotely using a combination of detection criteria including flow rate and differential pressure comparisons, high/low pressure assessments, tank level measurements and similar measurements. If an alarm is triggered on one of the systems, it can be shut down and alerts made to EOG personnel. In addition to safeguarding the environment and improving safety, these systems improve employee and overall company operating efficiency. Top of Page Wetland Mitigation Bank In 1998, EOG established a 403–acre mitigation bank near Gladewater, Texas, with approval from the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Texas Railroad Commission, United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and United States Fish and Wildlife Service. A mitigation bank, according to the EPA’s definition, is a wetland, stream, or other aquatic resource area that has been restored, established, enhanced, or (in certain circumstances) preserved for the purpose of compensating for unavoidable impacts to other aquatic resources under the applicable regulation. For example, when EOG drills a well in the nearby Carthage area that requires a Corps of Engineers permit, EOG can draw on the credits from its Gladewater mitigation bank, which in turn requires that certain measures be undertaken that are advantageous to the Gladewater raw land. As part of this program, EOG has built a duck pond and made other improvements to the Gladewater acreage, which have, ultimately, enabled the owner to plant hardwood trees in certain areas. Top of Page Recognition Our company’s commitment to safety was recently recognized when EOG won a United States Minerals Management Service 2006 District Safety Award for Excellence (SAFE) in the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Regions for its offshore Lake Jackson, Texas operations. The SAFE program honors, recognizes and commends those operating companies that expend extra effort and conduct their operations in a safe manner, adhere to all regulatory requirements, employ trained and motivated personnel and take extra steps to enhance the safety of their operations. Top of Page	Search EOG: Safety & Environmental Policies Workplace, Safety & Security & Protection of the Environment Safety & Environmental

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