Manage Land Footprint
We apply technology and design facilities to reduce our land impact and work diligently to restore former production sites in an environmentally responsible manner.
Where possible, we are drilling longer laterals and using improved completions techniques to more efficiently develop reservoirs while decreasing our land footprint. Drilling one 10,000-foot lateral can be more efficient than drilling two that are 5,000 feet long. This strategy has boosted flow rates and the amount of resource we expect to recover, while also lowering cost of supply by reducing the need for additional well pads and facilities. This shrinks our footprint while increasing capital efficiency, making such wells more economically robust in a low-price environment. A great deal of analysis and testing has been devoted to optimizing stacking and spacing, especially in the Eagle Ford, where a combination of technology, geochemistry, seismic and data analytics techniques are being employed.
Additionally, we work closely with land owners and government authorities to manage our operations in a way that protects wildlife and ecosystems. Our planning processes incorporate studies on local wildlife and natural resources to identify potential impacts from our operations. We use the data to make necessary modifications, such as locating well pads and facilities outside nesting habitats, adhering to timing restrictions and reclaiming land by planting vegetation that provides forage for animals and birds. Reseeding with native plants during our land restoration work gives us the opportunity to make a positive change that will improve the landscape for generations to come.
At our Alpine oilfield in Alaska, before any off-pad work is conducted during the sensitive nesting window, we employ avian biologists to carefully search the tundra for nesting Spectacled Eiders. This is done in accordance with permit conditions aimed at protecting this sea duck, a listed species under the Endangered Species Act. At our Kuparuk oilfield, even though we don’t have a regulatory requirement, avian biologists search from the road system in habitats that have historically had Spectacled Eider nests.
In 2016, we began a multi-year, landscape-scale assessment project for funding a conservation plan for grass¬lands across the U.S. Great Plains. The recipient of the funds is the North Dakota Natural Resources Trust working through the Prairie Potholes Joint Venture. The need for grassland conservation is becoming well-recognized in the conservation community and numerous organizations are holding discussions regarding grassland and grassland bird conservation. The goal is to coordinate and catalyze organizations and joint ventures already working on local or regional projects to share knowledge and science that can help improve ecosystem understanding and assess conservation programs that sustain populations of grassland birds. These grasslands stretch from Canada (parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan) to Mexico. A report on this collaborative effort, due after assessments are completed in 2019, will detail the amount of grassland remaining, the juxtaposition of grassland complexes or patches and the pace of change in these grasslands. The desired outcome is a set of recommendations for a grasslands conservation frame¬work across the Great Plains that could attract scaled up support and multi-donor funding. remaining, the juxtaposition of grassland complexes or patches and the pace of change in these grasslands.
