What We Are Doing
Land plays a vital role in our daily activities. We owned or leased approximately 2.1 million gross acres in our operating areas in 2024. The potential impacts of natural gas operations on biodiversity, habitats, and land are highly regulated and a primary focus for local communities, landowners, and many industry associations. We acknowledge that prevention of negative impacts on the surrounding landscape and local biodiversity from each step of our operations — including site design, development, operation, and decommissioning — is critical to building trust with our valued stakeholders and maintaining our commitment to environmental stewardship.
We aim to avoid, minimize, mitigate, and monitor impacts on the land and wildlife where we operate throughout the life cycle of a site or pipeline. As members of the Marcellus Shale Coalition and the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, we participate in working groups that focus on site planning, development, restoration, and other topics that foster land protection. Our Surface, Permitting, and Civil (SP&C) group works closely with our Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) team and leverages our EHS Management System throughout site permitting, monitoring, and decommissioning.
Our operational assets are sometimes located near or within legally protected lands such as federal- and state-owned lands, state parks and game lands, and county parks and recreation areas. We follow federal, state, and local regulations regarding species and habitat protection during operational activity near or within protected lands or areas of high biodiversity.
2024 Leased or Owned Acreage in Legally Protected Areas (km2)[1]
| Metric | Wetlands (km2) | Federal Land and Parks (km2) |
| Ohio | 18.0 | 23.1 |
| Pennsylvania | 83.4 | 851.5 |
| West Virginia | 23.1 | 124.9 |
| Other States | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 124.6 | 999.5 |
Highlight
Mountain Valley Pipeline Restoration Efforts
During 2024, EQT completed restoration efforts for the 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) right-of-way and started the monitoring and mitigation phase. We restored the right-of-way using native seed mixes that are beneficial for pollinators and wildlife, successfully revegetating approximately 100 miles of the pipeline project.
EQT, through the MVP project, has also committed to planting 131 acres of bare root saplings to reduce the permanent impact of the project in sensitive areas such as U.S. Forest Service lands, culturally significant areas, stream riparian areas, and forested wetlands. To date, EQT has completed 123 acres of the tree planting and will continue to monitor the success of those plantings for at least 2 years. In addition to these tree plantings, EQT is also working to maintain healthy ecosystems for wildlife by tracking water quality parameters at select streams in proximity to endangered species and bat activity at locations where they are known to hibernate.
Surveys and Permitting
Prior to site development, we assess each potential site and pipeline route, as well as associated workspaces and access roads, for biodiversity risks. Our biodiversity risk assessments follow the mitigation hierarchy to allow us to safely begin construction while avoiding or minimizing impacts on ecological resources. Where avoidance is not possible, we work with appropriate regulatory agencies on mitigation plans. We focus on avoidance and minimization of impacts during site selection, pipeline routing, and project scope development. Working with third-party and internal experts, regulatory agencies, and landowners, we consider safe and environmentally responsible construction and development practices through methods listed below.
- We complete desktop and field studies to identify and avoid aquatic resources or, when necessary, determine the most appropriate crossing location and method to minimize impacts. When impacts cannot be avoided, we work with regulatory agencies on appropriate mitigation measures such as riparian plantings or wetland monitoring;
- We use evaluation of historical landslide mapping and slope modeling to assess site and slope stability and erosion potential, which we then use to design necessary controls to minimize risk and manage potential erosion and stormwater runoff; and
- We utilize various domestic environmental registries such as the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Information for Planning and Construction tool to identify potential impacts to threatened, endangered, and special concern species or resources near proposed areas of operation. We also conduct habitat assessments and presence/absence surveys in coordination with the U.S. FWS and state wildlife resource agencies to determine potential impacts to threatened or endangered species. Bats, clams, and various plant species are the most common federally identified endangered species found within our operating areas. If we identify a threatened or endangered species, we make it a priority to avoid disturbing these species and habitats. Where this is not possible, we work with appropriate federal and state agencies to develop and execute protection plans. Plans can include implementation of artificial structures such as bat boxes, artificial bark, and species relocation, if required.
Ongoing Monitoring of Active Sites
Once a site is in development, we continuously monitor for biodiversity and land impacts. Our site-specific environmental management plans align with stringent local regulatory requirements and often apply standards that exceed those required by law. Our management plans detail the site-specific actions to be taken in the event of an incident and include:
- Erosion and sedimentation control, stormwater management, and site restoration;
- Spill prevention, control, and countermeasure plans;
- Preparedness, prevention, and contingency plans;
- Groundwater protection plans; and
- Other topics applicable to the site.
For sites where we identified and relocated endangered species, we continue to monitor species’ health in their new environment for up to two years, or longer if determined through consultation with regulatory agencies. Until we achieve adequate site stabilization, we conduct weekly and post-rainfall inspections, documenting the condition of the site, and noting any stabilization issues, spills, or site damage.
We report identified issues to our EHS team, which sends a maintenance crew to address the issue on a priority schedule based on criticality. Given the nature of the issue, our EHS team also coordinates with our SP&C team. Additionally, we use our digital work environment to report issues and promptly notify the relevant response teams.
Decommissioning and Inactive Sites
Once site operations are complete, to maintain positive relationships with landowners and communities, we work with property owners to restore their land — as closely as possible — to its original condition. We reestablish contours close to the original land contours and revegetate with state-approved seed mixes, native seed mixes, and/or vegetation requested by landowners. We also commonly accommodate agency requests to use specialized seed mixes (e.g., pollinator mixes) and landowner requests for topsoil segregation. These techniques support local flora and fauna by allowing wildlife movement, restoration of the habitat, and prevention of invasive species. We implement habitat mitigation projects based on site-specific conditions or requirements, such as bat box installation and riparian planting. When sites, rights-of-way, associated workspaces, and access roads are adequately restored, we work with regulatory agencies to confirm restoration success according to state requirements and then request termination of applicable permits.
We are also focused on restoration activities beyond what is required for our projects. Every year since 2021, we have undertaken a two-day tree planting event around Earth Day to reforest areas affected by our activities. This event allows employees to directly participate in our positive impacts on the ecosystem and encourages them to be part of our overall reclamation efforts. In 2024, our volunteers planted over 1,000 trees.
What We Are Doing
