Our Commitment to Virginia
October 8, 2024
By Positive Energy Hub Staff
The energy future is bright in Virginia. Building upon our operating history across southwestern Virginia, CNX was recently joined by Governor Youngkin, Senator Hackworth, Delegate Morefield, cabinet officials, and local economic development leaders to celebrate our new regional headquarters in Tazewell County. This investment represents a commitment to facilitating economic growth and job opportunities across the region and better positions us to reliably and affordably meet Virginia’s growing energy demands.
“CNX brings to life our vision for an all-American, all-of-the-above approach to fueling Virginia’s unprecedented economic growth and energy needs, leveraging Southwest Virginia’s rich coal mines to produce abundant, affordable, and lower emissions natural gas,” said Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin.
The Richlands headquarters will support 75 full-time positions and expand CNX’s current office square footage by 85%.
"We hope that by relocating our Virginia headquarters here, we will not only stimulate the local economy, but also be an asset to this community,” explained CNX President of New Technologies Ravi Srivastava. "This region is critical to the continued growth of our company, our employees and our vendors and we are proud to call it home."
With CNX’s storied operating history in Virginia beginning in the early 1990s, today we’re proud to serve as the largest natural gas operator in the state. Home to the Buchanan Mine, the state is central to our mine methane capture activities that advance energy security and climate goals. By capturing waste emissions from the Appalachian region’s coal mines – where 80% of mine methane emissions are concentrated – and repurposing it for clean energy or manufacturing feedstocks, we’re helping Virginia become an epicenter of the circular economy.
“By opening this state-of-the-art facility right here in Richlands, [CNX is] betting on the future of energy production in the Commonwealth and their commitment to the Appalachian region,” Governor Youngkin continued.
Overall, natural gas development plays a vital role in Southwest Virginia’s economy by employing hundreds of people and ensuring local contractors can continue to work.
The new office investment isn’t the first of our efforts to support the region. Operating under a strict Appalachia First mindset, our employees go to work each day with a goal of safely and responsibly contributing to Virginia’s energy economy and the health of communities across the area.
The Appalachian Valley Improved Forest Management (IFM) project, in partnership with ClimeCo for example, is preserving over 34,000 forest acres primarily located within Buchanan and Tazewell counties that is home to many endangered species. The forest also serves as a habitat for a Rocky Mountain Elk introduction project. These biodiversity benefits are in addition to the emission reductions and associated carbon credits being offered to further promote conservation efforts. As a large surface owner in the Appalachian region, the Appalachian Valley IFM is the first of many carbon projects our team plans to advance.
On the other side of the coin, our team steps up when communities are in need. This includes the 2023 flood relief efforts in Buchanan County as well as holiday gift donations and food drives that contributed more than $100k to southwestern Virginia community organizations. These causes included Producers Supply, United Way Southwest VA, American Red Cross, Feeding My Sheep, and Grace Fellowship Church of God. We also participated in volunteer work around food insecurity and children’s health and wellness.
As these efforts and our legacy of being a prominent corporate partner demonstrate, we will always look for ways to make tangible impacts in the communities we proudly call home."I'm grateful for the partnership Virginia enjoys with CNX Resources,” Senator Travis Hackworth said at the office opening. "They've already been a great asset to the region and I'm looking forward to seeing how they continue to grow.”
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