Social

Workforce Culture

Our ability to create sustainable value for all stakeholders is driven from the inside out — and begins with our employees. We believe that our workforce is the most critical factor in achieving both our business objectives and our sustainability goals, and we work each day to cultivate an inclusive, respectful work environment that values differing perspectives and encourages the power of teamwork and accountability.

An Engaged, Motivated, and Inclusive Workforce

2-7
Information on employees and other workers

3-3
Management of material topics

201-3
Defined benefit plan obligations and other retirement plans

401-1
11.10.2
New employee hires and employee turnover

401-2
11.10.3
Benefits provided to full-time employees that are not provided to temporary or part-time employees

401-3
11.10.4
11.11.3
Parental leave

403-6
11.9.7
Promotion of worker health

404-1
11.10.6
11.11.4
Average hours of training per year per employee

404-2
11.10.7
11.7.3
Programs for upgrading employee skills and transition assistance programs

404-3
Percent of employees receiving regular performance and career development reviews

2-7
3-3
201-3
401-1
401-2
401-3
403-6
404-1
404-2
404-3

We believe that a positive culture encourages innovative thinking and collaboration. We aim to attract and retain the best talent and are committed to providing our employees with a safe, inclusive, and supportive work environment where they can thrive.

In recent years, Equitrans embraced a person-centric work environment, where the physical, cognitive, and emotional needs of employees are accepted  encouraging employees to find the best integration between their work and personal lives. Our person-centric work model is defined by flexible work experiences, intentional collaboration, and empathy-based management. As part of our new work model, employees were asked to select their workplace preferences based on a set of three “workplace personas” (anchor, flex, remote) in line with the options available for their role assigned by managers.

 

The purpose of a person-centric work environment is to ensure that employees can better integrate work and life, which may include flexible work hours, and in some cases part-time schedules, rather than conforming to legacy practices or locations that constrain them. Upon implementation of this new work model, roughly 44% of employees are working remotely (remote persona), 25% split their time between working remote and at an Equitrans location (flex persona), 31% work from an Equitrans location full-time (anchor persona), and less than 1% work part-time. For our field employees, who are primarily required to work onsite, we rolled out flexible work guidelines to demonstrate our commitment to our person-centric work environment. As part of our new work model, we periodically conduct employee surveys to obtain feedback and use the results to adjust our workplace practices, as needed. We expect our person-centric model will continue to improve employees’ satisfaction and to benefit retention, as well as help to expand our talent pool.

Workforce Overview

With the rollout of the person-centric work environment, we believe Equitrans has been able to improve gender diversity. The statistics below include the total number of employees as of December 31 of the specified year.

Employee Summary 2019 2020 2021 2022
Total Employees 801 777 766 766
Male Employees 626 597 580 574
Female Employees 175 180 186 192
Employees By Primary Work Location 2019 2020 2021 2022
Pennsylvania1 609 551 514 500
West Virginia1 140 161 186 178
Ohio1 46 46 35 41
Other U.S. Locations1, 2 6 19 31 47

1) For purposes of this report, work state/location is based on an employee’s taxable earnings, as reported to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and each respective state’s tax department

2) Other Locations may include California; Colorado; Connecticut; Florida; Georgia; Indiana; Kentucky; Maryland; Minnesota; North Carolina; New Jersey; New York; Oklahoma; South Carolina; South Dakota; Tennessee; Texas; and Virginia

Full-Time/Part-Time Employee Breakdown 2019 2020 2021 2022
Full-time: Male 626 597 580 573
Full-time: Female  173  177  182 187
Part-time: Male1 0 0 0 1
Part-time: Female2 2 3 4 5

1) The Company reports Other U.S. Location as the primary work location for the male, part-time employee

2) The Company reports Pennsylvania as the primary work location for all female, part-time employees

Workforce Turnover and New Hires

As part of our key performance indicators, we track employee turnover rates to assess our ongoing talent engagement and retention efforts. This is a critical element in determining the effectiveness of our overall workforce management strategies. For fiscal year 2022, the Company’s total turnover rate was roughly 8%, which includes a 7.3% voluntary turnover rate. Equitrans’ annual turnover rate is consistently below the median turnover rate compared to our annual benchmarking, and analysis of our employee exit interviews indicates that employees have elected to voluntarily leave the Company primarily for career advancement opportunities.

That said, we believe having some level of turnover allows for the movement and promotion of employees within Equitrans, which directly supports our career growth and development initiatives. In 2022, we are proud to report that roughly 34% of our position vacancies were filled internally, providing opportunities for our current employees to advance their careers within the organization.

Total Workforce Turnover Rate (2020–2022)1
6.20%
2020
5.35%
2021
7.82%
2022

1) The Company began reporting turnover rate information in 2020

New Hires
Target
120
110
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

118

98

20

 

32

26

6

 

42

30

12

 

79

59

20

 
2019202020212022
Total External New Hires
Total Internal Promotions/Transfers1

1) Includes existing employees who applied to an open requisition, participated in the interview process, and were selected for a position

Culture Initiatives

 

Equitrans recognizes the importance of creating and maintaining a positive workforce culture that encourages employee input, celebrates successes, and provides opportunities for growth and development. A positive workforce culture also promotes a high rate of employee productivity, innovative thinking, engagement, retention, and greater safety awareness. During 2022, Equitrans focused on improving employee capability development and enhancing internal customer service. These efforts were in response to feedback collected from our late-2021 culture survey and help to ensure Equitrans is creating a rewarding workplace. Our next culture survey is expected to occur in early 2024, the feedback from which will assist in evaluating programs and initiatives to continue engaging our employees.

Culture Champions Group

Equitrans’ Culture Champions Group was founded in July 2019, and included cross-functional members from various geographic locations. With the goal to solicit feedback and suggestions from employees across the Company, members openly discussed ways to enhance and improve our workforce culture during their regularly scheduled meetings, and Culture Champions Group leaders would bring suggestions and solutions to our senior leadership for review and consideration. Relevant management groups then implement the recommended action items. In early 2023, the Culture Champions Group transitioned to a Culture and Inclusion Council, with a focus on both culture- and inclusion-related initiatives.

In 2022, nearly 75% of our employees engaged in one or more culture initiative programs.

Lunch With Leaders

Equitrans’ Lunch with Leaders program was developed from a Culture Champions Group suggestion and provides our employees a unique chance to speak about business topics directly with our Company leaders. Discussion topics are selected based on our leaders’ area of expertise, or are conducted as a simple, informal conversation with the leaders. While there is no specified meeting cadence, in 2022, many leaders conducted their sessions on a bi-annual basis.

Virtual Meet-Ups

Typically held monthly, our Virtual Meet-Ups are an informal way for employees to connect and engage with coworkers on various topics of interest. With a focus on “anything but work”  these topics may include hiking, cooking, childcare/eldercare, vacation planning or anything that is of interest to employees. Regardless of location, this platform allows a wide range of employees to interact and learn from one another, fostering a more inclusive environment.

Coffee Talks

Equitrans’ Coffee Talks give employees an opportunity to learn about business-related topics at the department level. These sessions encourage networking and allow employees to learn about the various roles, groups, and projects within Equitrans.

Spotlight — Employee Recognition

Our Spotlight program encourages employees to formally recognize one another for doing work that goes above and beyond and for routinely demonstrating our Core Values and their dedication to our Company. Employees can thank a colleague through a variety of eCards — OR — for more substantial recognition, employees can nominate a co-worker for a monetary award.

SPOTLIGHT logo

All-Employee Meetings

Equitrans executive leadership team holds all-employee meetings a minimum of two times per year. Our discussions cover relevant and timely business updates, as well as current industry topics. Time is also allotted for a robust question and answer session with employees and leaders. As a Core Value, Equitrans promotes transparent communications among all employee groups.

Enhancing Internal Customer Service

Throughout 2022, Equitrans focused on enhancing internal customer service through several initiatives, including the celebration of National Care for Your Co-Worker Day in July and National Customer Service Week in October. During National Customer Service Week, employees received a One Team Company-sponsored gift, were asked to identify and recognize top internal customers, and were invited to attend a virtual internal customer service presentation. In support of this initiative, our annual performance management process included the use of key reviewer feedback to solicit input on performance from an employee’s internal customers.

ONE TEAM logo

Feedback and Performance Evaluation

At Equitrans, we believe that by investing in the growth and development of our employees, we are investing in the future success of our Company. All employees participate in our annual performance review process. Our performance management process incorporates meaningful discussion on both Individual Objectives (the ‘what’) and Equitrans Core Values (the ‘how’). As a priority, Equitrans believes in providing high-quality feedback to all our employees to foster continued growth and development.

100% of employees receive and participate in annual performance reviews.

Career Ladders

In 2022, we launched our effective career conversations program for managers and employees, designed to provide tools to engage in constructive career discussions. Employee feedback from our culture survey led us to take a more comprehensive view as to how we manage career development and has also reaffirmed the importance of growing and developing our employees.

As part of our effective career conversations program and in support of our Core Value of Transparency, we also added career ladder content to our online Employee Resource Center located on Mainline Connect, the Company's intranet. We created a formal career ladder/career development learning lab, coupled with an informative LinkedIn Learning training course to provide managers with insight into how to best use the career ladders in effective career conversations. Completion of the LinkedIn Learning course and participation in the career ladder/career development learning lab was mandatory for managers.

Development and Training

To encourage employee growth, Equitrans offers a variety of learning opportunities related to leadership, safety, inclusion, and professional development. In 2022, the Company provided an average of 21.8 hours of training per employee. Training categories included: diversity and inclusion, leadership development, employee development, information technology/cybersecurity, health and safety, corporate compliance, and specialized technical training for specific job functions. Additionally, we began implementing our Learning Management System (LMS) to more accurately and consistently track employees' training hours. We began transferring employees historical training records to the LMS in 2022, and the remaining records will be transferred in 2023.

 

Our leadership and development programs center around our Core Values and are comprised of three individual training levels based on the employee’s current position within the Company and leadership experience. Details on each of the programs are as follows:

  • EMERGE: Is designed for employees who show interest in taking on a leadership role. The program provides participants with a better understanding of their “leadership style” and how they can use that style to be effective in leading people. Specific modules include self-awareness and communication; managing conflict; understanding your change style; and leadership presence and influence skills.
  • LEAD: Is designed for new first-line supervisors and managers. Our LEAD program helps participants master the skills they need to move from technical or functional experts to people leaders at Equitrans. Topics include executing strategy at the front line; coaching; managing the human side of change; understanding unconscious bias; leading virtually; and behavioral-based interviewing.
  • BILD: Is designed for senior managers and directors. Our BILD program focuses on helping leaders at this level to execute through others. The focus areas of this course include managing emotional intelligence, mastering decision dynamics, and translating strategy into results.

In 2022, Equitrans employees completed 492 training hours dedicated to diversity and inclusion.

Equitrans is constantly working to create an environment where every employee feels valued and respected, implementing multiple talent attraction, engagement, and retention initiatives to assist in developing a workforce culture aligned with our mission, vision, Core Values, and strategy. Our Core Value of Collaboration is at the heart of our inclusion program. We are committed to being a reliable partner inside and out, and we promote inclusion by providing educational resources and training on diversity and inclusion topics. On a bi-weekly basis, Equitrans delivers creative inclusion-related content to our employees through Blue Ocean Brain, a specialized eLearning platform. These micro-learning topics increase employees’ abilities to understand and celebrate our differences, which we believe assists in creating an inclusive and respectful work environment that values differing perspectives and encourages the power of teamwork and accountability. In 2022, Equitrans employees completed 492 training hours dedicated to diversity and inclusion.

Health and Wellness Benefit Offerings

Equitrans provides comprehensive health and wellness benefits to its employees and coverage is effective on the first day of employment. An overview of the Company's many offerings is as follows:

 

Healthcare

We facilitate employee access to healthcare through the offering of a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP), which includes an annual deductible for each participating employee. Once the deductible is met, the plan pays 90% of eligible in-network medical expenses or 80% for out-of-network medical expenses. In addition, the plan pays 100% of eligible preventive care expenses even if the deductible has not been met. For prescription drug coverage, once the deductible is met, generic prescriptions are covered at 100% and brand prescriptions are covered at 80%, with maximums in place. The healthcare program covers all full-time employees and part-time employees and their eligible dependents. Part-time employees who are eligible for health and wellness benefits described in this section are those who are scheduled to work more than 20 but less than 35 hours/week.

Health Savings Account

Employees enrolled in the healthcare program can also establish and contribute to a tax-effective Health Savings Account (HSA) to assist with part of the annual deductible or save for future healthcare expenses. Employees may receive HSA contributions from Equitrans based on their completion of annual and/or quarterly wellness activities. Beginning in 2023, we added flexibility to our coverage in the form of a new, Company-paid health contribution, which Equitrans makes to the employee’s HSA, if eligible, or as cash through payroll. Employees can use this one-time, monetary health contribution for health expenses, such as a gym membership or to offset health plan contributions and/or expenses.

Dental and Vision Insurance

Equitrans also offers dental and vision insurance for full-time employees, part-time employees, and their eligible dependents. For dental insurance, the coverage provides comprehensive dental care services with in-network preventive services covered at 100%. For vision insurance, our coverage includes an eye exam once every calendar year, along with specific allowances for lenses, eyeglass frames, and/or contact lenses at specified intervals.

Life Insurance

Full-time and part-time employees receive basic group term life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment insurance coverage. Additional contributory life insurance equal to one-, two-, three-, four-, or five-times base salary is available at group rates to full-time and part-time employees. Employees are also eligible for contributory spouse and child life insurance coverage. Company-paid business travel accident insurance is provided to full-time employees.

Disability Insurance

Short-term and long-term disability insurance is available to full-time and part-time employees. The duration and amount of the short-term disability payment was previously determined by the employee’s years of service and hours scheduled; however, to support equity and inclusion, we eliminated the service tenure requirements in 2023. The long-term disability policy provides continuing income at a percentage of salary in effect at the time of disability and is offset by other benefits received due to disability; and there is also a buy-up option available.

Parental Leave

In 2021, we changed our Paternity Leave benefit to New Parent Leave to be more inclusive of all Equitrans employees. New Parent Leave gives our employees paid leave to spend time with their newborn children and is available to full-time and part-time employees who are scheduled to work between 20–35 hours/week. Equitrans also offers a similar Adoption Leave benefit for parents of newly adopted children. As a result of employee feedback from our 2022 benefits survey, we enhanced several of our leave policies for 2023. Our New Parent Leave increased to 2 weeks (80 hours) from the previous allotment of 5 days (40 hours); our Bereavement Leave increased to 5 days (40 hours) for immediate family members and was enhanced by redefining immediate family to include domestic partners; and we changed the designation of ‘primary/secondary caregiver’ to be ‘adoptive parent’ in our Adoption Leave Policy.

Flextime

Equitrans continually searches for new ways to improve employee engagement and well-being. While most employees work full-time, we understand a standard 9–5 job does not work for everyone. We offer alternative work schedules where full-time employees work 40 hours a week in a non-standard schedule, or part-time opportunities, where available. Many of our roles do not require employees to be present in our physical office locations, allowing work to be done virtually from almost anywhere in the continental United States.

Wellness Program

Our voluntary wellness program, Wellness Engine, managed in conjunction with an external wellness partner, was launched in January 2022. Wellness Engine supports different areas of employee total wellness, such as nutrition, emotional well-being, fitness, and financial wellness. It also includes access to biometric screenings, a confidential health risk assessment, and health coaching. In the Company’s headquarters office, as well as several field offices, Equitrans also makes dedicated wellness rooms available for employees seeking privacy to address health or lactation needs.

Employee Assistance Program

Equitrans also offers employees eligible for health and wellness benefits an employee assistance program (EAP) that provides employees and their families with counseling and guidance in a variety of areas, including behavioral health concerns, personal and family issues, and legal assistance.

Built-in-Breaks

Given the importance of employees’ mental health and wellness, we recognize employees are relying more on collaborative technology to connect, which means more online, virtual meetings. The use of technology, particularly for office-based employees, has led to an excessive number of back-to-back meetings, often with few or no breaks between. We recognize that over time, the results can lead to a decline in healthy habits, ergonomic-related issues, increased levels of stress, and an overall unhealthy workforce. To mitigate these potential issues, Equitrans implemented “Built-in-Breaks”  which automatically adjusts the default times when scheduling internal meetings  giving employees a few extra minutes to refocus and reset. Internal meetings scheduled for 30 minutes are reduced by five minutes and meetings set for an hour or longer are reduced by 10 minutes. By scheduling Built-in-Breaks, employees have time to stand, stretch, refill their beverage, or simply take a few minutes to clear their mind, which helps to improve our employees’ mental health by alleviating the stress of back-to-back meetings.

Retirement Benefit Offerings

To support employees’ financial goals, Equitrans offers retirement provisions for all full-time employees and for part-time employees scheduled to work between 20–35 hours/week. These retirement options include the Equitrans Midstream Corporation Employee Savings Plan (401(k) Plan), the Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), and the Medical Spending Account.

401(k) Plan

Generally, eligible earnings in the 401(k) Plan include base compensation, overtime, and cash short-term incentive plan payments up to the annual compensation limits set by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the United States Department of Treasury. Employees are 100% vested in the Company’s contributions upon completing at least three years of service. Eligible employees may contribute up to 50% of their eligible earnings on a pre-tax basis and in accordance with the IRS limits. New or rehired employees who do not enroll in the 401(k) Plan within 60 days are automatically enrolled for a personal 6% pre-tax contribution, the percentage and investment options of which can be changed at any time. Employees are always 100% vested in their personal contributions. Effective January 1, 2023, a Roth contribution feature was added to the 401(k) Plan.

 

For eligible employees, Equitrans may make two contributions to an employee’s 401(k) Plan account:

Retirement Contribution: This contribution currently equals 6% of an employee’s eligible earnings and is made regardless of whether the employee chooses to make a personal contribution to the 401(k) Plan.

Matching Contribution: For those employees who choose to contribute to their 401(k) Plan, the Company matches 50% of their personal contribution, up to the first 6% contributed.

At the beginning of the calendar year in which an employee reaches age 50, they become eligible for a catch-up contribution, which is in excess of the IRS’s standard contribution limit. These catch-up contributions begin automatically at the same percentage as an employee’s current pre-tax 401(k) contribution, unless or until an employee elects to stop contributing. Catch-up contributions are not matched by the Company.

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

The ESPP gives employees an opportunity to share in the future value created by the Company by purchasing shares of ETRN common stock at a discount. If enrolled, the employee’s after-tax payroll deductions will be used to purchase shares of ETRN common stock at a 15% discount, subject to IRS limitations. The Company pays the 15% difference between the employee’s discounted price and the market price, as well as all brokerage fees associated with purchasing the stock. When an employee sells their stock, they are responsible for paying any taxes on the increase in value above the purchase cost and any fees associated with the selling of stock. Employees are advised that the health of the Company, developments within the industry or the Company itself, or overall market fluctuations may cause the price of the Company stock to rise or fall.

Medical Spending Account

Employees who are at least age 55 with five or more years of service may be eligible for an MSA when their employment ends. The MSA is intended to help cover part of the cost of healthcare coverage and other eligible health expenses during retirement. Equitrans will credit the MSA with $1,000 for each full year of service with the Company.

Enhancing Our Culture

 

Equitrans evaluates our approach to workforce culture by conducting routine culture assessments, which lead to culture initiatives and employee engagement actions. These assessments occur approximately every 18–30 months, with our most recent assessment conducted in the fall of 2021. With a participation rate of 78%, the results of our 2021 survey included double digit percentile increases across all 48 culture survey questions, which we attribute to the many action items implemented in 2020 and 2021. The Company expects to conduct its next assessment in the spring of 2024 and, as part of the process, management will review the assessment results with our Board of Directors.

Equitrans’ overarching goal is to create a workforce culture that is not only aligned with our values, but also inspires employees to be their best selves. We believe that when employees feel engaged and supported, they are more likely to stay with the Company and do their best work.

Highlight Stories

Inspiring the World to Reuse

As we broaden our sustainability investments, we are especially proud of our partnership with Fill It Forward, an organization whose mission is “to inspire the world to reuse” by focusing on the elimination of single-use waste, such as plastic bottles and bags. In 2021, Equitrans partnered with Fill it Forward as a means of engaging and educating employees, while at the same time elevating our many ESG (environmental, social, and governance) initiatives.

In late 2021, we launched our Fill It Forward campaign with a custom holiday gift box for employees that included reusable tote bags and bottles with individual ‘scan tags’ that acted as a re-use tracker. When the tags were scanned, the data was automatically uploaded to Equitrans’ custom group on the Fill It Forward app and was used for tracking our collective impact, such as waste diverted, emissions saved, and how much ocean pollution was prevented.

Along with helping to eliminate waste, there was a charitable component to our Fill It Forward campaign. Each employee scan unlocked a $1 donation for every reuse, which contributed funds to our chosen charitable organization — DigDeep’s Appalachia Water Project. The funds collected were used to provide clean drinking water through the installation of meter-to-home water lines for families in southern West Virginia who currently have unsafe, limited, or no water at all. Our goal was to generate 10,000 scans and raise $10,000 for the Appalachia Water Project, and we were thrilled to have reached our goal roughly six months into the campaign. In addition, as part of Equitrans’ annual holiday giving initiatives, we made a separate donation of $20,000 to the Appalachia Water Project.

Thanks to the efforts of our employees — Equitrans was the proud recipient of Fill It Forward’s Changemaker Award for 2022. This unique ESG-focused campaign was a means of engaging and educating employees, while also elevating our sustainability efforts. Together with Fill It Forward, we believe that the simple act of reusing is the first step towards creating a sustainable mindset for all generations — and as an added benefit — being able to connect families with access to safe water will ensure the health and success of communities for years to come.

Equitrans Midstream’s Impact
 
19,968.42
lbs of emissions saved

 
617.58
lbs of waste diverted from landfill

 
11,734.02
kwH of power saved

 
123.52
lbs of ocean pollution prevented
20,586
total reuses

Source: Statistics calculated by Fill It Forward, as of year-end 2022

Renewable Electricity and Scope 2 Emissions

With the publication of the Company’s Climate Policy in 2021, Equitrans established targets that include a 50% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 methane emissions by 2030 and a 50% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2040. Since this time, Equitrans has aggressively focused on reducing its direct Scope 1 emissions, which included the replacement of pneumatic devices and the installation of vent gas recovery units during 2022. These activities are expected to directly contribute to a reduction in methane emissions from operations. Additional information and details on the Company’s reduction efforts can be found in the GHG Emissions and Climate Change section of this report.

Equitrans is also working to reduce its indirect Scope 2 emissions, which are emissions related to purchased utilities, such as electric generation and heat. One method of aiding in the overall reduction of indirect Scope 2 emissions is through the purchase of certified renewable energy credits or RECs. Each REC is a certificate that corresponds to the environmental attributes of electricity that is generated from a zero-emissions renewable source and delivered to the electricity grid.

For the year-ended 2022, Equitrans purchased and retired 35,000 Green-e Energy certified RECs for its operations. These purchased RECs represent 35,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of generated renewable energy, which in this case was from wind energy generated in Oklahoma and delivered to the corresponding regional electric grid. By purchasing and retiring these RECs, Equitrans is taking credit for the renewable energy generated and ensuring that it is not accounted for elsewhere in the country. By purchasing these certified RECs, Equitrans was able to account for 100% of its purchased electricity through the supply of zero-carbon renewable energy, as related to its indirect Scope 2 GHG emissions.  

Managing and Protecting Pipeline Integrity

Identification and management of landslide risk is a vital aspect of Equitrans’ daily work activities; however, the risk of a landslide is not limited to the midstream industry. Landslides can occur in any type of terrain, including both hills and valleys, and can be associated with any type of ongoing construction or pre-existing land disturbance. Natural factors such as rainfall and surface runoff water can amplify their frequency or severity; and left unmanaged, landslides have the potential to impact our environment. For Equitrans, this impact may include creating unnecessary strain on our underground pipelines, which are typically located in a variety of terrains as compared to our non-linear assets. To avoid unsafe situations and protect the integrity of our pipeline network, our engineering team uses a multi-faceted approach to aggressively identify and manage areas at risk for potential landslides. 

To identify potential land movement near our assets, Equitrans’ engineers utilize aerial patrols, drones with photogrammetry change detection, and routine on-site inspections — or, if required, a combination of these methods may be used. In each case, we monitor our pipeline rights-of-way looking for any indication of unstable soil, such as discoloration, downed trees, or other data that could indicate a change in topography. Following a thorough evaluation of each asset location or suspected slide area by our engineering and compliance teams, we assign a priority ranking to indicate the potential for further movement and any risk to the environment or to the integrity of the pipeline.

As a final step, Equitrans pairs the geographic location data of known and suspected landslides with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) information. This analysis is done on a daily basis and allows Equitrans to identify rainfall events that could affect the stability of existing slide-prone areas and to rapidly respond and investigate when conditions change on the ground. In accordance with a defined framework that accounts for slide priority and rain severity, personnel may be deployed to conduct visual, on-site inspections. Beyond rainfall data, we also monitor temperature data to understand freeze thaw cycles and similarly deploy personnel to evaluate sites under changing conditions. Through continued use of these evaluation tools — aerial inspections, drone imaging, and manual site inspections — Equitrans remains committed to environmental and operational safety through its robust process to identify and manage potential landslides.

In addition, Equitrans launched a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) pilot program in 2020 to aid in the enhanced detection of potential landslides along our pipeline rights-of-way. Today, we conduct semi-annual LiDAR flights across thousands of miles of pipeline. The adoption of LiDAR technology and utilization of our enhanced construction standards are collectively designed to improve Equitrans’ ability to mitigate landslide risk for the safety of our employees and communities, and for the benefit of our customers, investors, and the environment. 

Our Bees Are All The Buzzzzz

At Equitrans, there is a clear tone that begins at the top — sustainability is critically important to the world we live in and is also essential to the future growth of our Company. In 2023, E-Train celebrated Earth Day with the kickoff of a two-year sustainability partnership with Alvéole. Alvéole focuses on bee-friendly communities for greener cities by installing honey bee hives at business locations across the world to foster environmental awareness and educate communities on the importance of creating sustainable bee populations. In fact, according to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, honey bees help to produce one-third of our food supply by pollinating $15 billion worth of crops in the U.S. each year, including more than 130 types of fruits, nuts, and vegetables. 

Through our new partnership with Alvéole, E-Train is hosting and supporting two honey bee hives at each of our Canonsburg, St. Clairsville, and Waynesburg offices. The hives were installed in late spring, and the bees have begun to collect nectar and pollinate thousands of flowers and plants. With the help of our assigned Alvéole beekeeper, the hives will become established, and the bees will re-emerge every spring to pollinate flora to grow food and produce E-Train’s own locally sourced honey.

Equitrans and Alvéole also established “MyHive” microsites for each of E-Train’s office locations. The MyHive sites are located on Equitrans’ intranet, and employees can access the sites at any time to find educational honey bee information and receive updates on our hives. As an added benefit, Alvéole beekeepers will conduct various on-site informational events for employees, such as beeswax candle making and honey extraction sessions. 

As we continue to safely and responsibly operate our network of natural gas pipelines, water lines, and compressor stations, it’s important to remember that the decisions we make today have a lasting and positive impact on future generations. On Earth Day and every day, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard by embracing our responsibility to operate in a manner that minimizes impacts on our natural resources and — above all else — we must keep safety our top priority, always.

Proactive Project Outreach

Equitrans Midstream relies on proactive community engagement and feedback to foster a culture of trust, inclusivity, and transparency, and we view our projects and operations through a lens of responsibility and accountability. In keeping with this belief, environmental justice is an important component of our stakeholder outreach activities. Our Environmental Justice Policy lays the foundation of our commitment to provide for the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people in any public process involving our operations, regardless of race, color, national origin, or income. 

It is often said that actions speak louder than words, which was the case for the outreach team working on our Ohio Valley Connector Expansion (OVCX) project. As a critical component of the project’s pre-planning phase, our team contracted the services of an outside vendor that specialized in the identification of environmental justice communities located near the project. After consulting with the FERC, the EPA, and our contracted environmental justice specialists, Equitrans extended the OVCX project’s landowner contact radius an additional 0.5 mile to maximize the outreach efforts and ensure all stakeholders were personally aware of and involved with the project details.

In addition to our land team contacting property owners and community members within the expanded radius, the OVCX outreach team conducted multiple pop-up educational meetings and community open houses; solicited pre-paid comment and suggestion cards; distributed various informational mailings; and remained engaged with the community every step of the way by responding to questions and feedback. To better understand the needs and challenges faced by those living near the proposed project, we also met with local organizations and elected officials, as well as other key decision makers. These additional, proactive measures taken by our OVCX outreach team went above and beyond regulatory requirements to ensure consistent communication and transparency throughout the project’s lifecycle.  

Employee Generosity — Giving Back To Our Communities

Equitrans Midstream is committed to making a difference in our communities, and the United Way is just one way we can join together to support those in need. For our 2022 campaign, we selected the United Way of Washington County as our primary United Way affiliate, which aligns with our Company headquarters’ location. Employees also had the opportunity to donate to the United Way of their choice by selecting from other United Way affiliates located in our primary operating states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, or West Virginia.

To jump start our 2022 United Way campaign, we held a basket raffle during our all-employee meeting and holiday celebration in Morgantown, WV. Employee teams donated 27 individual baskets, with raffle ticket sales raising more than $11,000 in donations. This was matched dollar-for-dollar by our Corporate Local Giving Program, jump-starting our 2022 campaign with a contribution of more than $22,000 to the United Way.

Through our official United Way campaign, which is conducted annually via individual, online donations, Equitrans employees pledged roughly $57,000 in individual contributions, which was matched dollar-for-dollar through the Equitrans Midstream Foundation for a total of approximately $114,000. Additional donations were made outside of our formal campaign, and, based on totals provided by the United Way of Washington County — Equitrans’ contributions totaled more than $169,000 in 2022 — making us the top contributor in their Chairman’s Award for Top 5 Workplace Giving Campaign Partners program.

Equitrans also received the agency’s Campaign Excellence Award, which is presented to a workplace giving campaign partner that puts forth extra effort in running their annual workplace giving campaign. In addition to our traditional campaign, this award was due in part to the hosting of our special to basket raffle event, which engaged all employees and included matching funds by the Equitrans Midstream Foundation and the Company’s Corporate Local Giving Program.

The United Way of Washington County’s mission is to unite people, resources, and organization to improve lives in Washington County. Through Equitrans’ support, the various programs at United Way will be funded to serve the most pressing needs in vulnerable populations within our local operating areas. Our donation is a powerful force for change, and we thank our employees for their generosity and support!

Productivity Redesigned

As the world continues to adapt and evolve, companies are re-evaluating their management approach and taking into consideration the individual needs and circumstances of their employees to create work-life harmonization. With the implementation of person-centric leadership practices, Equitrans took the opportunity to redesign how we operate, improving performance and engagement and increasing our ability to compete for talent.

In early 2020, Equitrans began to recognize the benefits of a flexible workplace model. We initiated a deeper dive into the concept by soliciting survey feedback from office-based employees regarding their preferred ‘workplace persona’ preferences (anchor, flex, and remote). Today, we have fully embraced a ‘person-centric’ work environment, which takes into account the physical, cognitive, and emotional needs of employees and encourages them to find the best integration between their work and personal lives. With this approach, work is no longer about where an employee is located, but about the actual work an employee does. Importantly, employees are evaluated on work produced, without consideration to where or how they worked.

Rather than conforming to legacy practices or location constraints, Equitrans’ person-centric work model is defined by flexible work experiences, intentional collaboration, and empathy-based management. For our field-based employees, who are primarily required to work onsite, we rolled out flexible work guidelines to demonstrate our commitment to our person-centric work approach. Upon implementation of this new work model, roughly 44% of employees are working remotely, 25% split their time between working remotely and at an Equitrans location, 31% work from an Equitrans location full-time, and less than 1% work part-time.

We expect our person-centric model will continue to improve employees’ satisfaction and retention, as well as help to expand our talent pool. Since implementing our workplace personas, the number of employees working in other U.S. locations has increased, and we have been able to improve gender diversity. As part of our new work model, we periodically conduct employee surveys and focus groups to obtain feedback, using the results to adjust our workplace practices, as needed.

Office-Centric vs Person-Centric Work Design
Office-Centric Person-Centric

Provide consistent work experiences to deliver equality of experience

Provide flexible work experiences to deliver equality of opportunity

Enable serendipitous collaboration to deliver innovation by chance

Enable intentional collaboration to deliver innovation by design

Drive visibility-based management to deliver performance by inputs

Drive empathy-based management to deliver performance by outcome

Enhancing Methane Monitoring

In January 2023, Equitrans announced its status as a founding member of the newly formed Appalachian Methane Initiative (AMI), a coalition of regional natural gas operators committed to further enhancing methane monitoring throughout the Appalachia Basin and facilitating additional methane emissions reduction in the region. The AMI coalition was formed for the purpose of establishing and effectuating a methane monitoring, reporting, and mitigation network throughout the geographic area known as the Appalachian Basin.’

AMI’s efforts are intended to promote greater efficiency in the identification and remedy of potential fugitive methane emissions from operations in the Appalachian Basin through coordinated satellite and aerial surveys on a geographic-basis as opposed to an operator-specific basis and taking into account advanced methane monitoring and reporting frameworks. Additionally, the coalition will seek to coordinate and share best practices in mitigating methane emissions from natural gas operations, including production and midstream, and collaborate on activities and monitor results through transparent, publicly available reporting. 

For much of 2023, AMI is focusing on developing and implementing a pilot monitoring program to cover select areas of interest within the Basin’s major operating footprints, with the goal of working to develop and implement a full-Basin monitoring plan in 2024.

As part of AMI’s official launch, a news release was issued by the coalition’s founding members. We believe our membership in AMI will support our ongoing methane reduction efforts and complement our many ESG initiatives, and we look forward to working with other coalition members on advancing AMI’s initiatives.

x
Share This Page