Energy Companies, Migrating Birds Find Common Ground In Ohio

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Conservation Fund announce grants that protect critical wildlife habitat using funds from Rockies Express and Columbia Gas

 

August 5, 2009

Contact:
Jason Holm, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, (612) 713-5138
Vanessa Vaughan, The Conservation Fund, (703) 908-5809

 

Columbus, OH – Across Ohio, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Conservation Fund and industry partners have launched a landmark conservation effort to meet growing energy demand while mitigating impact on critical wildlife habitat. Today, the team announced five energy industry-funded grants totaling $3 million that will protect more than 20,000 acres of migratory bird habitat in the state.

 

Funding for the grants came from Rockies Express, a business owned by Kinder Morgan, Sempra and Conoco Phillips, and Columbia Gas, a unit of NiSource Gas Transmission & Storage.

“Purchase of these lands, in part, through mitigation funds demonstrates how we can develop our energy infrastructure in an environmentally sound manner,” said Tom Melius, regional director for region 3 of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “The choice isn’t, and rarely should be, between wildlife or development, but rather how we accommodate both needs in a holistic manner. These developers, through their cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have provided an example of how this can be done that we hope others will follow.”

Peg Kohring, Midwest director of The Conservation Fund, said, “Energy providers are looking to avoid protracted delays in permitting, environmentalists are looking to protect the wildlife that call energy corridors home, and businesses and homeowners seek reliable, affordable domestic energy supplies. At The Conservation Fund, we provide a way forward by helping all achieve their goals. Our partnerships in America’s heartland are prime examples of the Fund in action.”

As America invests in infrastructure, The Conservation Fund is working with energy, transportation, development and government leaders to offset project impacts on wildlife habitat and other natural resources through conservation real estate transactions, strategic planning and mitigation fund management.

Rockies Express is constructing a 1,700-mile natural gas pipeline that will stretch from Colorado to Ohio. Columbia Gas plans to expand two storage facilities extending into several counties in Ohio. Despite careful planning to avoid and minimize impacts, these construction projects cannot avoid all adverse impacts on vulnerable migratory bird habitat. To compensate for the loss of forestland and accelerate approvals from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, these two energy companies voluntarily agreed to establish mitigation funds to be used to compensate for any impacts. The Conservation Fund managed these accounts and, with the oversight of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, provided grants to conservation projects that preserve habitat for vulnerable bird species. This was a one-time grant process intended to use all the funds in the account.

“The NiSource Gas Transmission & Storage companies deliver clean-burning, domestic energy to communities and regions throughout the northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states,” said Victor Gaglio, senior vice president of operations for NiSource Gas Transmission & Storage. “While we work hard to minimize any environmental impacts our operations may have on the environment, some impacts are unavoidable if we are to provide communities with safe and reliable natural gas supplies. Therefore, we are pleased to be able to help The Conservation Fund in its efforts to restore and protect lands for a lifetime of conservation.”

In Ohio, Rockies Express and Columbia Gas were required to mitigate a total of approximately 600 acres of wildlife habitat. The funds in the mitigation accounts were leveraged with funding from other sources to protect 20,600 acres.

Click here for descriptions of the funded projects and for more information about the migratory bird mitigation account.

 

---

About the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

About The Conservation Fund