We are committed to reducing the impact of our operations through education, innovation and proactive planning. Our Courtesy Matters® program is focused on respectful and courteous conduct in the communities where we operate. Across our operating areas, we expect our employees and suppliers to maintain courteous and respectful behavior throughout all stages of our operations.
Our community relations efforts start with local team members who customize their approach to meet the needs of local communities and stakeholders to facilitate information sharing and assistance. This includes responding to community concerns such as noise, light, traffic and dust in a prompt and respectful manner. Our team members participate in community-based meetings, Chambers of Commerce, industry associations, and communicate with local first responders. We also contribute directly to communities by volunteering with charitable organizations and participating in community events.
Mitigating Noise
We take great care to proactively engage with communities in advance of new activity, particularly when our sites are in close proximity to residents.
For example, in Oklahoma, this included re-occupying an existing location that now has a subdivision close to the original wells. In advance of activity, we engaged the city government and chamber of commerce to inform them of our development plans and sent notifications to impacted residents within one-quarter mile of the location, including contact details for questions or concerns. When dialogue with residents raised concerns over noise levels, our team responded by installing permanent sound walls around the compressors. We also proactively engaged multiple internal teams to develop a risk-mitigation strategy for sound issues and determined that the best course of action was temporary sound walls during drilling and completions as well as for the first 30 days of production.
Minimizing Site Lighting
In response to concerns raised by our neighbors, we have invested considerable resources in minimizing our site lighting disturbance in Canadian operating areas, with the goal of keeping the illumination within leased boundaries. On permanent facilities, we continue to explore ways to reduce lighting impacts on-site, starting with facility design.
For our temporary sites, we are working to use fewer generator and light tower combinations to reduce the cumulative impact of light and noise. Addressing lighting concerns must never outweigh the safety and security of our employees, so solutions are assessed carefully on a site-by-site basis.
Reducing Truck Traffic
We understand that truck traffic can be disruptive in communities where we operate and we recognize that by reducing our truck traffic, we also decrease our potential for spills, tailpipe emissions, driving accidents, traffic congestion, dust and noise on area rural roads. Where trucking is necessary, we identify preferred routes to support the safety of our employees, contractors and local residents as well as minimize disturbance to surrounding landowners. Pipeline transport allows liquids and natural gas to flow through underground pipes instead of being trucked to different destinations and our water resource hubs use pipeline infrastructure to transport water, further reducing water truck traffic.
Preparing for Community Flood Concerns
In winter 2023, snowpacks in the mountains around Duchesne, Utah, were at risk of a rapid snow melt or a rain-on-snow event, which would impact people living in flood-prone areas like Myton City. To help the community prepare, the Uinta operations team helped fill 1,750 sandbags — shoveling and bagging over 20 tons of sand.
Contributing to Community Clean-up Efforts
As part of our social commitment to the communities where we operate, our staff took time to contribute to clean-up efforts in their respective communities.
Our Uinta staff, along with members of the Utah Petroleum Association and Ute Tribe volunteers covered 36 miles of roadway, collecting over 4,000 pounds of trash. Our Woodlands staff was also out in full force as part of a local ‘Adopt-a-Path’ clean-up program, caring for approximately 1.5 miles of high-traffic pathways in residential and retail areas of the community. In Dawson Creek, staff participated in a roadside clean-up.
Hosting Regulatory Tours
We are committed to ensuring regulators and government officials have an understanding of our operations. We regularly host tours for regulators, policy staff, elected officials and Indigenous partners to facilitate a broader understanding of our industry and showcase Ovintiv’s approach to development. We are proud of the work we do, the way we do it and we understand the value of engaging with a variety of diverse perspectives.
Connecting with Dawson Creek Stakeholders
Ovintiv sponsored the annual stakeholder BBQ at the Dawson Creek exhibition and Rodeo, which has been running for over 100 years. Members of our Surface Land, Community Relations and Canadian Operations teams attended with representation from local First Nations, landowners, government, regulators and first responders.