One Gas - 2020 - Details - Responsible Environmental Stewardship

Environmental Commitment

At ONE Gas, we believe we have a shared responsibility to care for our planet and are committed to finding ways to reduce emissions and engage in proactive conservation efforts, as we move toward a low carbon future.

Emissions and Risk Management

We are concentrated on reducing our operational emissions through three key areas of focus: accelerated infrastructure upgrades; multifaceted public awareness and damage prevention programs; and comprehensive leak prevention and repair strategies.

Infrastructure Upgrades

Our goal to continuously improve also applies to our risk-based approach for infrastructure replacement. Our system integrity strategy uses an enterprise-wide technology to evaluate assets and projects through a consistent risk management framework to prioritize replacement projects. As a result, we are more efficient and effective in how we evaluate and plan for work, ensuring we are prudent with our capital expenditures.

Vintage pipeline materials account for most of the overall methane emissions released by natural gas distribution systems. Approximately 70% of our $465 million in capital expenditures in 2019 was for system integrity and reliability. In 2019, we replaced 197 miles of vintage pipeline and completed our five-year accelerated cast iron replacement program ahead of schedule.

Pipeline Replacement

Measured in Miles

Cast Iron

Unprotected Bare Steel

Protected Bare Steel

Vintage Plastic

Risk Mitigation and Government Relocation

Note: Inventory and values are based on data reported for 2019. Pipeline replacement due to future changes in state of federal regulations is not projected in 5-year replacement estimates.

Emission Reduction from Pipeline Replacement

As % of Operational Emissions

22.1%

reduction in emissions through our pipeline replacement program from a 2014 baseline, with the reduction expected to increase to 33% by 2024 as we continue the program.

Public Awareness and Damage Prevention

Natural gas is a safe, reliable and cost-effective energy source. Safety of our customers, employees and communities is our top priority and number one core value. Our public awareness and damage prevention programs engage key audiences with information to help everyone make informed and safe decisions.

Our Programs Include:

811 – Call Before You Dig
Partnering with local One Call agencies to generate awareness of safe digging practices.
Natural Gas Safety
Educating the public about how to detect a natural gas leak and what to do and not do if they suspect one.

Meter Safety
Equipping customers with information on how to keep their meters safe.
Pipeline Integrity
Working to ensure the integrity and safety of our pipelines and to comply with federal and state pipeline safety regulations.

Key Audiences Include:

Customers
Emergency responders
Professional excavators
Homeowners
Children
Educators

System Management

Our service territories are situated near some of the world’s largest natural gas basins. This provides a strategic advantage by keeping transportation costs low, and leads to significant risk reduction as it enables us to operate at lower pipeline pressures through strategic placement of city gates from multiple upstream gas suppliers.

Routine surveys help keep our pipelines safe and surveys of our systems are just one way our pipeline safety program works toward our goal of zero incidents. Our leak detection and repair (LDAR) includes on-site surveys to identify leaks and other opportunities to improve the safety and reliability of our systems.

Lowering Air Emissions

As a natural gas distribution company, we do not have significant non-greenhouse gas emissions, but we are committed to contributing to cleaner air through our vehicle fleet. Natural gas vehicles (NGV) are 90% cleaner than the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) current NOx standard and emit 21% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than comparable gasoline and diesel vehicles. At ONE Gas, more than 40% of our fleet is bi-fuel or compressed natural gas (CNG).

Forward-Looking Statements

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS RELEVANT TO FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF “SAFE HARBOR” PROVISIONS OF THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995
This Sustainability Report contains forward-looking statements, which are based on our current assumptions and expectations. Forward-looking statements may include words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “should,” “goal,” “target,” objective,” “strategy,” “opportunity,” “seek,” “pursue,” “forecast,” “guidance,” “could,” “will,” “should,” “may,” “continue,” “might,” “potential,” “scheduled,” “budgets,” “outlook,” “trends, “focus,” “on schedule,” “on track,” “poised,” “is slated” and other words and terms of similar meaning. The principle forward-looking statements in this report include our sustainability commitments and programs; our business plans, initiatives and objectives; and our assumptions and expectations. All such forward-looking statements are intended to enjoy the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Although we believe that our expectations regarding future events are based on reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that such expectations and assumptions will be achieved. The most important factors that could cause our actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements are described under Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors, and Part II, Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation, Forward-Looking Statements, in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, which should be read in conjunction with the forward-looking statements in this report. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement.