We aim to minimize impacts to the maximum extent practicable, restore to pre-construction conditions where possible and mitigate unavoidable impacts. This approach, similar to the best-practice mitigation hierarchy, is applied across the life cycle of our operations, resulting in the:

  • Routing of our pipelines to minimize potential ecosystem impacts.
  • Restoring (where possible) affected habitats to pre-construction condition or better.
  • Monitoring habitat restoration in areas impacted during construction and documenting restoration efforts to relevant regulatory agencies.
  • Restoring affected wetlands or purchasing wetland credits to offset impacts.
  • Applying internal monitoring and response processes for migratory birds and other wildlife.

We apply intensive assessment, avoidance and mitigation measures to reduce potential negative impacts we might have on local ecosystems and support voluntary biodiversity protection projects near our areas of operation. Some examples of these efforts include:

Sabine Pass LNG Terminal

When choosing a site for the construction of our Sabine Pass LNG terminal, we selected already disturbed land that had previously been used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to hold dredged material. This approach has helped limit any additional impact to local ecosystems. Furthermore, while building the terminal we created more than 70 acres of new tidal wetlands, double the area that was actually impacted during construction. 

In 2021, during the dredging for construction of a third cargo berth at our Sabine Pass facility, we found a beneficial use for dredged material generated during the project, using it to rebuild the shoreline along Louisiana Point. This will help further expand local wetlands and protect existing wetlands from degradation. We also offset our land impacts by purchasing wetland credits at the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, helping to enhance and expand a large and healthy existing wetland complex.

Shipping

We require all of our chartered shipping vessels to follow international standards focused on reducing impacts to marine ecosystems. This includes best practices for handling ballast water, wastewater management, and spill prevention and control measures. Our chartered vessels are also compliant with the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships’ (MARPOL) international agreements on preventing pollution from ships and the International Maritime Organization’s low-sulfur fuel requirements. Furthermore, our chartered fleet is among the cleanest in the industry, thanks to a range of efficiency and emissions reduction technologies. 

Biodiversity-related community engagement and investment

We communicate regularly with landowners and community members on our efforts to avoid and minimize land impacts. We also work with local communities near our Sabine Pass and Corpus Christi liquefaction facilities to identify coastal restoration and marine habitat projects that would benefit from our social investment. Examples of projects that we have invested in as a result include: 

  • Funding the improvement of public waterway access infrastructure on the Sabine-Neches waterway in partnership with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, City of Port Arthur, Jefferson County and Sabine Pass Port Authority.
  • Supporting the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program in their shoreline planning and engineering efforts to improve waterway access at Violet Andrews Park in Portland, Texas, as well as an oyster reef restoration project in St. Charles Bay, Texas.