
Identifying and Engaging With Stakeholders
At Equitrans, we know stakeholder engagement is critical for our success. We encourage our stakeholders to provide open and candid feedback, and our open communication with stakeholders builds valuable, lasting relationships. Our stakeholders rely on our ability to listen. In turn, the feedback we receive from our stakeholders allows Equitrans to proactively mitigate risks and enhance and build transparency. In February 2021, we published our Stakeholder Engagement and Community Investment Policy, formalizing our commitment to support communities through financial and non-financial contributions.
From an operational perspective, our primary engagements are with landowners, local governments, and local communities. Interacting with stakeholder groups throughout all phases of a project — including initial route planning, easement negotiations, the permitting process, construction, and after an asset is operational — is fundamental to Equitrans’ success and is a key element of our stakeholder engagement practices. Maintaining a two-way dialogue through continuous communication allows our stakeholders to stay informed, helps to build trust, and increases Equitrans’ awareness of our stakeholders’ needs and concerns in the areas in which we operate.
Likewise, Equitrans works closely with local governments and communities to ensure we adhere to all regulations and requirements, as well as to maintain our relationships in support of the many organizations in our areas of operation. We communicate with our stakeholders in person, via phone or video calls, and through email for the duration of our project(s). Services to stakeholders are also available, as needed, after completion of a project. We believe our accessibility to stakeholders, and encouragement of stakeholders to engage with us, builds lasting relationships and creates a positive impact in the areas in which we operate. For more information on these efforts, see the Community Engagement section of this report.
Equitrans utilizes our Investor Relations (IR) and executive management teams to interact with our existing and prospective security holders. We identify our shareholders through the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Form 13F holdings and third-party shareholder services. Our IR team actively communicates with both institutional and individual investors via direct phone calls and video conference calls. Our teams periodically attend and participate in energy-focused investor conferences and in non-deal investor roadshows. We also interact with our shareholders through face-to-face meetings, phone/video discussions, and quarterly earnings conference calls. In doing so, we engage with present and future shareholders along with sell-side analysts who publish research on our Company. In addition, Equitrans teams engage with shareholders and research analysts to garner feedback and input, which is utilized to inform the Company on market and industry dynamics.
Basis for Identifying Stakeholders
As our operations evolve, we continuously work to evaluate, identify, and update potential stakeholders involved with our projects and operations. Equitrans strives to engage with any stakeholder who has the potential to be impacted by our operations or who may have questions regarding our business. Further, in 2022, we will adopt an Environmental Justice Policy to formalize our commitment to the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people — regardless of race, color, national origin, or income — with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies that pertain to our operations.
We focus on and identify stakeholders who may face direct impacts from our operations, such as contractors, suppliers, landowners, and municipalities and regulatory authorities that oversee our business and operational activities. We also hold and engage in public events, meetings, and community outreach to ensure our operations are aligned with the communities around us.
External Stakeholders
- Community Members
- Contractors
- Customers
- Financial Research Analysts
- First Responders
- Government Officials and Agencies
- Landowners
- Shareholders
- Suppliers
Equitrans believes external partnerships are beneficial to its business and participates in several important organizations and associations, including the memberships and initiatives listed below:
Association Memberships:
- African American Chamber of Commerce, Western Pennsylvania
- American Petroleum Institute (API)
- Energy & Mineral Law Foundation
- Greene County Chamber of Commerce
- Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA)
- Marcellus Shale Coalition
- Ohio Oil and Gas Association
- Pennsylvania Chamber of Business & Industry
- Pennsylvania Independent Oil & Gas Association
- Public Affairs Council Southern Gas Association
- St. Clairsville Area Chamber of Commerce
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- Utilities Telecommunications and Energy Coalition of West Virginia
- Virginia Oil & Gas Association
- Washington County Chamber of Commerce
- West Virginia Manufacturers Association
- Women’s Energy Network
External Initiatives:
- API Environmental Partnership: A voluntary industry trade group that focuses on a systematic approach to reducing emissions of methane and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by using more efficient and effective technologies — specifically pneumatic controllers and Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) programs.
- INGAA Methane Commitment: A transmission-specific initiative that focuses on methane reduction efforts to minimize emissions from pipelines, compressor stations, pneumatic controllers, and storage wells, while maintaining pipeline integrity and safe operations, and also minimizing adverse customer and community impacts.
- ONE Future Coalition: A group of natural gas companies working together to voluntarily reduce methane emissions across the natural gas supply chain. Together with its member companies, ONE Future is focused on demonstrating an innovative performance- and science-based approach to the management of methane emissions directed toward a concrete goal: to achieve an average rate of methane emissions across the entire natural gas value chain that is one percent or less of total (gross) natural gas production and delivery.
Our commitment to sustainable operations facilitates improvements and fosters honest and proactive communication with our stakeholders. Further information on our stakeholder activities is found in our Community Engagement section, and a discussion on our key stakeholder topics is available in the Materiality section of this report.