“When I received the documentation from EPA, I realized that this was
an opportunity for ConocoPhillips to be recognized for all of their efforts
in reaching out to the community,” said Candi Beaudry, the former CAC
member who prepared a Clean Air Excellence Award nomination for the
Billings refinery, pictured here (far right) with fellow CAC members and
Billings refinery staff. |
Our company-operated refineries created Community Advisory
Councils (CACs) and Citizen Advisory Panels (CAPs) to foster
and strengthen relationships with their neighborhoods. CACs and
CAPs consist of local community representatives and members
of the refinery management team, who meet regularly to
discuss refinery plans and performance. The meetings give us
an opportunity to meet our neighbors, to inform them about
our operations, to consult with them on special issues or
concerns and to gather their feedback on our performance.
Eleven of our 12 U.S. refineries and our Humber refinery in
the United Kingdom have CACs or CAPs. The exception, the
Ferndale refinery in Washington, engages its community by
working through established local organizations. The Ferndale
refinery recently hosted a visit by three members of the Los
Angeles refinery’s CAC who wanted to learn more about wet
scrubber technology used to reduce air emissions.
While our marine business’ stakeholders are typically geographically
dispersed, in the state of Alaska, we participate in two
multistakeholder groups developed as part of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. We work with the Prince William Sound Regional
CAC primarily on oil spill prevention and response, as well
as other issues of interest to those stakeholders. Similarly, we
engage with the Washington State Advisory Council for Puget
Sound, including serving on that group’s board.
The Billings refinery in Montana was successfully nominated
by its CAC for the 2005 Clean Air Excellence Award from
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, underlining the
relationship the refinery has with its community. The award
recognized the refinery’s local education and outreach work
and its emissions reduction efforts.
Amanda Muench of ConocoPhillips Canada talks with members of
the Dawson Creek, British Columbia community at Discover Energy,
a multistakeholder forum sponsored by the Canadian Association of
Petroleum Producers. |
More than 70 community representatives have served on the
Billings CAC since it was established in 1990. Their interest in air
quality, coupled with the refinery’s commitment to environmental
care, has contributed to a reduction in sulfur dioxide emissions
from 2,180 metric tons to 245 metric tons per year between 1992
and 2005. The CAC has worked with the refinery to develop a
sustainable development scorecard, updated annually, to measure
the plant’s social, economic and environmental performance.
Our exploration and production businesses also have
engagement strategies which vary according to the nature of
the local community. In dispersed communities, they may
identify key stakeholders and engage with them one-on-one,
or in regions where there are opportunities to bring local stakeholders
together, they work with multistakeholder groups similar
to refinery CACs and CAPs. Below are a few examples.
In Alaska, we actively consult with North Slope communities
to protect subsistence resources and to share information about
current and planned operations. In 2006, such discussions led
to an agreement with the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission
and local village whaling associations that seismic operations
in the Chukchi Sea offshore of Alaska would not interfere with
native whaling and other subsistence hunting activities.
As part of a goal to be recognized as the industry leader in
stakeholder engagement performance, ConocoPhillips Canada
developed a Stakeholder Engagement Policy and has
established guiding principles. We are actively involved with
stakeholders through multistakeholder groups across Western
Canada to share information about oil and gas development
with community members, regulators and other industry
representatives. We have collaborated with landowners and
other industry members to develop tools to inform industry
about potential impacts of oil and natural gas activities on key
agricultural sectors, and we have sponsored initiatives to
support safety in the agricultural industry. We also are actively
engaged in education initiatives across Western Canada.
We have a companywide network to share best practices among
employees whose main role is to engage external stakeholders. In
April 2007, the network held its third global workshop attended by
representatives from across our operations, including Peter Koning,
Canada, and Tunde Folorunsho, Nigeria, pictured here. |
In the San Juan basin, we have endorsed the New Mexico Oil
and Gas Association’s Good Neighbor Policy to improve
communication with ranchers, landowners, environmentalists
and other stakeholders. The program commits us to protect the
environment and minimize nuisance, respect private property,
ensure site security and public safety, educate employees and
contractors on good neighbor practices and inform the public
on property and mineral rights issues.
In Indonesia, we have partnerships with regional universities and
local business associations to develop environmental mitigation
strategies and social development programs identified through
community input. Our engagement plan includes regular
conversations with researchers, town leaders, business groups,
community members and program participants.
In the Gulf of Paria, Venezuela, since the beginning of our
exploration activities in 1996, we started a proactive dialogue
with local communities to better understand their concerns and
needs, as well as those of fishermen, local governments and
other stakeholders. Similarly, we talked with national and
international stakeholders to understand their highest priorities
in terms of environmental protection and sustainable
development. From this dialogue, we crafted programs that
protected the environment and helped build healthier and
more prosperous local communities.
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