Oxy’s HES Principles call for a sustained effort to protect the environment, including actively promoting habitat preservation and biodiversity. Minimizing the disturbance of wildlife habitat is a key tenet of our conservation efforts.
Oxy’s expertise in EOR advances this objective by dramatically extending the productivity of mature oilfields, minimizing the need to move into areas where habitat has not been disturbed. EOR uses existing infrastructure such as roads, pipelines and storage and processing facilities to recover additional oil and gas with less impact on the environment — providing significant environmental benefits in habitat conservation and the efficient use of existing infrastructure.
Application of directional drilling technology also plays an important role in minimizing habitat disturbance from oil and gas development activities. This technology makes it possible to complete a number of wells from a single drill pad, reducing the need for land disturbance and enhancing habitat protection of environmentally sensitive areas. Other techniques decrease waste volumes, reduce drill pad size, and can reduce noise near the well site compared to traditional well drilling.
Oxy Sites Currently Certified by the Wildlife Habitat Council
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- Prairie Wetland Conservation Area
- Wichita, KS
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- Elk Hills Conservation Area
- Tupman, CA
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- THUMS Islands White, Grissom, Freeman and Chaffee
- Long Beach, CA
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- Geismar Plant
- Geismar, LA
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- Montague Property
- Montague, MI
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- Belle Property
- Belle, WV
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- 102nd St. Project Area
- Niagara Falls, NY
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- Copper Basin Project
- Ducktown, TN
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Our efforts to protect biodiversity are further strengthened by our active membership in the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC), a nonprofit organization that helps landowners enhance wildlife habitat. WHC’s Corporate Wildlife Habitat Certification/International
Accreditation Program recognizes commendable wildlife habitat management and environmental education programs at company owned properties. Oxy has eight facilities with WHC-certified habitat enhancement programs. Seven programs were reviewed and recertified in 2010, and one new program was established on Island Chaffee in Southern California’s Long Beach Harbor.
The certification of Island Chaffee’s habitat conservation program joins prior WHC certification of Islands Freeman, White and Grissom achieved by Oxy’s THUMS subsidiary. When first constructed, these oil production islands were planted with non-native ornamental plants. Since 2004, the wildlife team at THUMS has worked with WHC to establish native California plant habitats on the islands.
Oxy’s 7,878-acre Elk Hills Conservation Area in Kern County, California, has been WHC-certified since 1999. The WHC is Oxy’s partner in habitat protection, restoration and enhancement.