CNX Hosts Westmoreland County Community Open House
CNX Operations Team Reaches Out to Residents and Communities Across Northern Westmoreland County
March 4, 2024
By Positive Energy Hub Staff
On February 28th, roughly a dozen members of the CNX Operations team hosted an open house at the Washington Township Fire Department in Westmoreland County. Team leaders from permitting, land, construction, drilling, completions, water, safety and environmental were on hand to answer questions from residents about current and future CNX operations in the area.
Each team hosted a table with information on their current activities where residents could engage with them directly. "We were there to answer questions, not talk at people," said Cody Craker, Vice President of Operations. "I'm no good at speeches anyway, so it was good to hear what people are curious about and go from there."
More than 5,000 invitations were sent to residents in communities across northern Westmoreland County. Questions ranged from "how does drilling work?" to well traffic patterns, water well testing, and air quality monitoring. CNX employees were also available to discuss the Radical Transparency initiative, which will begin its monitoring and public disclosure program near Westmoreland County well sites in the coming weeks.
Another topic of discussion was water usage. Since the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County issued a water conservation notice in November of 2023, questions have been raised regarding the impact of natural gas companies on water levels in Beaver Run Reservoir. CNX water and completions teams informed residents that the company had not drawn water from Beaver Run since July of 2023, and that gas companies as a whole accounted for barely 1% of total water usage over the entire year.
"I think sometimes people hear opinions or see things other people post on social media and they just don't know what to think," said Kyle Stefancik, Land team Surface Manager. "I've lived in this area for a long time and once you have a chance to explain what's actually happening, it puts everyone at ease."
The company is committed to continuously improving the way operations are integrated into the community, and that starts with meeting residents face to face.
"This is important for us because we want to hear what people are concerned about and its best when we hear it directly from them," Erika Whetstone, Director of Permitting. "For example, I spoke to a woman who was worried that the lights on our sites would be too bright, so we are working to see if we can use different lighting in certain places or shut them off entirely. It's better when we can have a conversation about it rather than going back and forth online."
"Lots of people wanted to know about the sand we use for hydraulic fracturing," said Vice President of Completions Eric Luckey. "It's literally sand like you'd find on the beach. It props the fractures open so the gas can escape. Some people just want to know the basics. Others have very detailed questions. We're here for all of it."
Director of the CNX Foundation Mentorship Academy Dr. Shani Yeldell was also present to share how the Foundation is working locally to give back to the community. The Mentorship Academy opens doors to promising careers for high school students who are interested in starting their careers directly after high school graduation. The Academy currently serves several students from Westmoreland schools, and several more are recent Academy graduates.
"This is all about Radical Transparency," said Craker. "Whether we're posting air quality online so everyone can see it, or we're just sitting here talking with someone from down the road, we want everyone to understand how things work because we believe natural gas development is such a good thing for our region."
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