Gas Natural Inc. is now known as Hearthstone Utilities Inc. The Cleveland-based holding company distributes natural gas via regulated utilities to approximately 70,900 customers in Montana, Ohio, Maine and North Carolina. Hearthstone’s other operations include natural gas marketing through its Energy West Resources and Gas Natural Resources subsidiaries. Energy West Resources also manages midstream supply and production assets for transportation customers and utilities.
One Northwestern gas utility is entering the regulated water utility sector. Portland, Oregon-based NW Natural has agreed to acquire Salmon Valley Water Company and Falls Water Company, two privately owned water utilities in the Pacific Northwest. Salmon Valley serves approximately 975 customers, and Falls Water serves approximately 5,500 customers. Both water utilities will continue to operate as standalone subsidiaries. “The water utility sector is an excellent strategic fit for our company,” said NW Natural President and CEO David H. Anderson. “Each of the core competencies that NW Natural excels at—customer service, safety, environmental stewardship, reliability and managing critical distribution infrastructure—are equally applicable to the water utility sector.”
In the wake of the recent wildfires in California, Pacific Gas and Electric Company is giving back by funding resiliency grants to prepare state parks for natural disasters. The grants are part of a $250,000 PG&E grant to the California State Parks Foundation to help protect and enhance California’s state parks system. In conjunction with CSPF’s 20th annual Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup, funds were used to restore and clean up 40 state parks across California. Sugarloaf Ridge State Park and Trione-Annadel State Park in Sonoma County, which sustained major damage from wildfires this past fall, are two of the parks that will benefit from the funding and volunteer work, including repairs to trails, access roads and park structures. Additional efforts will focus on making parks more resilient to climate change and environmental impacts such as fire and drought.
Consumers Energy, based in Jackson, Michigan, has been named No. 13 on Forbes’ inaugural America’s Best Employers for Diversity list, making it the top-ranking utility on the list. The utility serves 6.7 million natural gas and/or electric residents in Michigan. Additional utilities on the list include Pacific Gas & Electric (No. 115), Southern Company (No. 143), Duke Energy (No. 161), Dominion Energy (No. 176) and Public Service Enterprise Group (No. 215). Forbes surveyed 30,000 employees about diversity, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age and disability in order to compile the list. “Receiving national recognition for diversity is humbling and affirming, and it’s really a result of our strong focus on people, planet and prosperity, and continuously improving how we serve the people of Michigan,” said Patricia Poppe, president and CEO of Consumers Energy. “Valuing and encouraging diversity helps build a workforce equipped with perspectives that serve our communities.”
An additional source of natural gas might soon be available for customers in Fairbanks, Alaska. The state’s Interior Gas Utility board of directors is considering a Siemens proposal to develop a new plant to supply natural gas. Per the proposal, Siemens would build a natural gas production and liquefaction plant near the Mat-Su community of Houston, Alaska. If the IGU accepts the offer, it would use an older Pentex Alaska Natural Gas Co. facility and others as a backup source of natural gas to ensure there is no interruption of supply to Alaska’s interior. “Siemens would do all the development and bear all the cost,” said IGU Chairwoman Pam Throop. “And we would just buy gas from them.”
More U.S. liquefied natural gas will soon be on its way to Asia. Cheniere Energy, the largest natural gas exporter in the United States, has agreed to supply China’s state-owned energy company with 1.2 million tons of LNG annually through 2043. The supply and purchase agreements were based on a memorandum of understanding that the company signed with China in November. Later this year, Cheniere will start shipping some of the fuel from its LNG export facility at Sabine Pass, Louisiana. Beginning in 2023, the balance of the fuel will be produced at its second facility, which is being built in Corpus Christi, Texas. Once all the production facilities are active, Cheniere will become one of the top five LNG exporters in the world.
Only 104 companies worldwide were named to Bloomberg’s inaugural Gender-Equality Index, and among them were two U.S. utilities: Dominion Energy and NiSource. The GEI measures gender equality across internal company statistics, employee policies, external community support and engagement, and gender-conscious product offerings. “We commend the 104 companies included in the 2018 GEI for their efforts to create work environments that support gender equality across a diverse range of industries,” said Peter T. Grauer, chairman of Bloomberg and founding chairman of the U.S. 30% Club. “Their leadership sets an important example that will help all organizations innovate and navigate the growing demand for diverse and inclusive workplaces.” This marks Bloomberg’s first sector-neutral index, covering 10 sectors and 24 countries and regions.
In partnership with its Washington Area Fuel Fund, Washington Gas found a fun way to raise awareness and funds for people in need of help to heat their homes over the winter: an Ice House. In January, WAFF constructed an Ice House at Washington Harbour, which was also supported through funding from the American Gas Association. During a three-day event, Washington Gas executives and employees, community partners such as AGA Chief Operating Officer Lori Traweek, vendors and local celebrities sat in the Ice House, greeted visitors and posed for photos, all while raising $128,000 for WAFF. “We are so grateful to everyone who has joined with us to support this important mission,” said Adrian Chapman, the utility’s president and chief operating officer. “The Ice House helped us raise awareness of this growing need in our community.”