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Gulf Guardian Award Winners 2004
Business Category - 3rd Place
| Project #: | GG-04-06 | |
| Company: | Shell Pipeline Company LP — Gulf of Mexico Region, LA | |
| Project Name: | Shell Pipeline and Louisiana Wetlands Loss | |
| Category: | Business | |
| Project Type: | Habitat and Public Health |
Summary: Shell Pipeline Company transports crude oil through Louisiana’s sensitive coastal estuary. The South Louisiana region continues to be devastated by coastal erosion, the highest amount of continual land loss in the United States. Over 35 square miles, or approximately one football field of land, is lost every 30 minutes. This wetlands loss devastates the environment, estuaries, wildlife, fisheries, residents, lifestyles, businesses, and economy. The land loss also uncovers, exposes, and compromises the integrity of Shell Pipeline’s infrastructure. These factors prompted the company to take a proactive stance to save South Louisiana’s productive wetlands.
Description: By getting involved in the effort to save Louisiana wetlands, Shell Pipeline and its employees are protecting their communities, the environment, and the company’s infrastructure. During 2003, Shell Pipeline has been instrumental in bringing this issue and its importance to the forefront of the industry.
Employees have been specifically involved in Louisiana’s coastal land loss issue since 2001 and have been working with the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program (NEP) since 1998. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the NEP, Shell Pipeline was the first company of any oil and gas companies to become actively involved in the issue, stating, “Shell Pipeline Company is a model for the entire hydrocarbon industry to follow.”
Shell funded the “Americas Wetland” coastal erosion initiative with a $3 million donation to the state of Louisiana. Its employees delivered the coastal Louisiana land loss crisis to a national and international audience through keynote presentations at the Clean Gulf Conference in Galveston, Texas, the International Oil Spill Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia and more than 20 events throughout Louisiana. “America’s Wetland” materials were distributed at each event.
Shell Pipeline has a Community Council that was developed to design and
implement new processes and techniques to educate the community about
pipelines and pipeline safety. Coastal erosion messages were incorporated
into the education action plan objectives.
