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Dennis Fredericks, CONSOL Energy manager of conservation activities FYI > In 2008, CONSOL Energy was honored by the NWTF with its Energy for Wildlife Corporate Achievement Award. The award recognizes corporations that demonstrate outstanding efforts to improve wildlife habitats and promote conservation and hunting. |
CONSOL and the NWTF: an energetic partnership
About half of America's energy comes from coal, and CONSOL Energy Inc., mines more high-quality bituminous coal than any other U.S. producer. We've been in business since the 1860s, and have more than six decades of coal reserves, ensuring this valuable natural resource will be available to provide energy to the nation for years to come.
In 1998, CONSOL began to extract coal bed methane gas ahead of its mining operations. The move improved safety and productivity of our mining operations and reduced the amount of "greenhouse gas" entering the atmosphere.
Energy extraction operations often require large holdings of surface acreage; CONSOL owns more than 500,000 acres in 13 states. Such a large amount of property comes with great responsibility, both below and above the surface. That's why we joined the NWTF's Energy for Wildlife program in fall 2003. Energy For Wildlife provides guidance for science-based responsible management of the vast natural resources on these properties, including timber, water, wetlands, wildlife and opportunities for public hunting.
Since becoming a member of the program, CONSOL has harvested more than 50,000 acres of timber in compliance with a sustainable management plan approved by the NWTF and has enrolled more than 70,000 of our acres in various public access programs in five states to provide hunting opportunities for the general public. We've also initiated programs to improve habitats for various wildlife species, from neo-tropical songbirds to elk.
CONSOL and the Pennsylvania Game Commission are working on an agreement to harvest natural gas from the Marcellus shale formation on 2,000 acres of state game lands in Greene County. The NWTF will act as a third party to provide wildlife consultation on the planning, development and reclamation of the operation. The project is a good example of how industry, agencies, conservation groups and the public can work together to provide necessary energy resources, while also conserving and improving our natural resources.
Our membership in the NWTF Energy for Wildlife program has proven to be a strategic business move that benefits wildlife and provides public hunting opportunities, while reducing costs and liability risks for our company. It has helped us build public and investor confidence in how we steward our energy properties. — Dennis Fredericks, CONSOL Energy manager of conservation activities