Corporate Responsibility

• Our Commitment
• Environment, Safety & Health
• Environmental Impact
• Product Loss Prevention
• Community Investments
• Awards and Achievements
• Corporate Governance

Environmental Impact

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Through our environmental stewardship, we seek to minimize the impact of our operations on the environment.  Direct greenhouse gas emissions for ONEOK and ONEOK Partners are estimated to be less than 5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO₂e*) annually. 

Starting January 1, 2010, new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules will make the reporting of greenhouse gas emissions mandatory.  We have been preparing for this regulation by working to improve our ability to accurately measure and track these emissions by business unit and source, so that we have an accurate accounting of our greenhouse gas emissions inventory when we report our findings.  We believe that finding the best ways to track these emissions and having the most accurate accounting of inventory possible will not only improve the ways in which we do business but will also help set industry standards. 

We are working to identify and implement practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Our main sources of emissions are:

• Combustion – burning of fuel for engines or process heaters.
• Process and fugitive – emissions that escape from pipelines through leaks or maintenance, or venting and flaring processes.
• Mobile – emissions released through the use of our fleet vehicles.

*Carbon Dioxide Equivalents (CO₂e) include what are expected to be reportable sources of methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions from operations, fuel-burning equipment and vehicle emissions.  

 

Pipeline Construction and Right-of-Way Restoration

We recently completed more than $2 billion in capital investments that included multiple pipeline projects and infrastructure upgrades across the United States, primarily in the Mid-Continent and Rocky Mountains. 

Our relationships with landowners along our pipeline routes are important.  For any given pipeline project, we negotiate hundreds of right-of-way agreements with landowners, which grant permission for the pipeline to be built, operated and maintained on a specific piece of property.  We work cooperatively to fairly compensate landowners and minimize the impact to their land. 

We take our commitment to landowners seriously.  When construction is complete, the land is restored to as near its previous condition as practicable.