Amidst the rolling hills and vibrant landscapes in the heart of West Virginia lies an industry dedicated to both energy production and environmental preservation. Those proudly developing the natural gas and oil resources that maintain quality of life, grow our economy and create jobs are also the ones laying the foundation of a more sustainable future – through responsible energy development and by going the extra mile to preserve the environment for generations to come.
This Earth Day, GO-WV members are celebrating the America’s natural gas-driven environmental achievements and giving back across the state by hosting creek clean-ups, volunteer outings and joining together to promote getting up, getting active and getting outdoors – some of the things we enjoy most as West Virginians.
Here’s a look at what some are doing:
Greylock Energy
In central West Virginia, Greylock volunteers are working with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to participate in a tree planting event at Canaan Valley State Park. In Charleston, a team is landscaping and beautifying the YWCA-Charleston’s Shanklin Center, which is a small community of independent-living and handicap-accessible apartments that provide permanent housing for survivors homelessness due to elder abuse.
MPLX
MPLX celebrates Earth Day with various clean up projects surrounding their facilities and operations. Because MPLX believes Earth Day should be more than just April 22, employees get involved in various conservation and clean-up initiatives throughout the entire month.
In Wetzel County, MPLX Mobley celebrated Earth Day early with a clean-up of Short Line School’s playground and walking trail in time for the annual Wetzel-Tyler Chamber of Commerce’s Ramp Festival, which is located at Short Line School.
The team at MPLX Majorsville in Marshall County last week collected trash and cleaned-up several miles of roadways near their facility. In Doddridge County, several miles of the North Bend Rail Trail – which runs partially in front of the Sherwood Facility – will be beautified thanks to MPLX Sherwood/Smithburg employees.
Southwestern Energy & Williams Companies
Southwestern Energy and Williams have joined forces to host a stream clean up event at Big Wheeling Creek. The WV DNR is also partnering with the companies for this event, hosting a presentation for 5th graders at Elm Grove Elementary and teaching them about local habitat and wildlife before the students help to stock over 4,000 pounds of trout in the creek! The students will also all walk away with a fishing pole provided by Cabela’s.
CNX Resources
CNX Resources “treats every day like Earth Day”, implementing various efforts across their operations to best protect the environment. These efforts include, water conservation, enhanced air monitoring, harvesting waste energy and more. Additionally, employees are encouraged to participate in other events such as collecting trash, planting trees and installing critically needed wildlife conservation efforts.
Antero Resources
Antero Resources takes pride in being active stewards of the environment. Antero celebrated Earth Day through partnering with The Nature Conservancy’s West Virginia Chapter to plant over 1,700 red spruce and balsam fir trees. In total, over 6,000 trees were planted in West Virginia’s Canaan Valley State Park.
This list is far from exhaustive and merely scratches the surface of the many ways the Appalachian natural gas industry is investing in our shared environment. With these proactive initiatives, it’s easy to see West Virginia operators’ dedication to the betterment and well-being of our communities and environment.
On Earth Day – and every day – GO-WV’s members are supporting comprehensive community initiatives and engagements, ensuring West Virginia’s communities remain a wild and wonderful place to live.
