WILLIAMS GOES TO BAT FOR CONSERVATION
emerge from anti-pipeline supporters anywhere in the world at any time thanks to the Internet and media coverage .
Targeting Pipelines
Environmental activist groups , such as the Sierra Club , have ambitious goals in the United States such as “ transitioning to 100 percent clean ( renewable ) energy .” Environmental groups that oppose fossil fuels are targeting natural gas pipeline projects as a way to hold up the entire industry .
Many groups who oppose fracking by E & P companies also target pipelines . They wager that if the pipelines are not built , E & P companies do not have a way to transport hydrocarbons out of the producing basin .
Activists , landowners and community organizations frequently attempt to use FERC public comment opportunities to influence state officials responsible for granting pipeline project permits . Activists and landowners voice their opinions and concerns about natural gas pipeline projects through FERC public hearings , emails , letters , protests , petitions , social media , white papers and blogs .
This is why it ’ s critical that our company — and the industry — interact with stakeholders through a strategic , integrated approach that builds public and political support for our growth projects , regulatory priorities and our future ability to operate in key markets .
“ Our success depends on a strategically focused and credible working relationship with regulators . It requires a multifaceted , multi-channel effort to build community and political support for our business at all levels , especially in communities and within state governments ,” says Rob Hatley , vice president , Communication & Strategic Outreach . ■
In addition to delivering natural gas , our Dalton expansion pipeline may also be delivering a lifeline for bats in Georgia and across the nation .
Williams is underwriting a program at Georgia State University being developed by researchers to treat and protect bats threatened by a deadly fungus known as white-nose syndrome . The Dalton expansion route runs through bat roosting habitat .
“ White nose syndrome is a devastating disease , and we are trying to keep pace with it ,” says Pete Pattavina of the U . S . Fish & Wildlife Service . “ But it is just moving so fast . We have the disease in 29 states ; we have the fungus identified in three additional states and five Canadian provinces . So this is an impact that is occurring across North American and is decimating regional populations of small bat species .”
Brett Simmons , an environmental specialist with Williams , considers the project a win-win . “ As a wildlife biologist , I have an interest in both — getting the pipeline built and doing the right thing for the species that we impact ,” Brett says .
Researchers on the project say Williams ’ support is invaluable .
“ Although habitat is very important for all wildlife — in this case , when population declines with bats , it ’ s almost exclusively due to disease ,” says Dr . Chris Conelison of Georgia State University . “ And so in order to have the greatest conservation impact , we have to target the cause of the population declines . That ’ s where Williams has been so pivotal in providing the support we need to implement these treatments in an experimental setting so that we can try to develop these technologies so that they can be applied on a broader area to have the type of conservation impact we hope to see on a regional and geographic scale .”
This effort is one of the Dalton Expansion-related conservation projects we ’ re working on with the U . S . Fish and Wildlife Service and the Georgia Department of natural resources to mitigate potential impacts from the construction of the pipeline .
View a video about the Dalton Expansion bat conservation project at https :// williams . wistia . com / medias / h3pz8s7l4t .
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