American Gas - November 2010 - (Page 2)

President’s message safety First and Foremost The safety of workers and customers is paramount—after all, these people also are friends and neighbors. The Tragic explosion of a natural gas transmission line in early September in San Bruno, Calif., is a sobering reminder that the foundation of our entire industry is the safe and reliable delivery of our product. Then again, reminders of the paramount importance of safety have always been a ’round-theclock, seven-days-a-week preoccupation at AGA and at our member companies. Indeed, the San Bruno incident occurred just two weeks before we hosted our annual AGA Leadership Summit, which has become the premier safety event for natural gas utility executives and safety directors. This summit focuses on all aspects of safety, be it pipeline, customer, employee, outside contractor and even vehicular safety. The summit also features keynote speakers, best practices, roundtable discussions and information sharing on everything from strategic planning to operational safety tips. In addition, our annual AGA Operations Conference, in which the operations folks from all of our member companies get together to exchange ideas and information on safety practices, is—and has always been— our largest, best attended and most important AGA meeting. In other words, our industry mantra is safety “first and foremost,” and the San Bruno tragedy notwithstanding, our industry’s safety record is among the best in the world. For one thing, the design, construction, operation, inspection and maintenance of all operating pipelines are subject not only to our members’ own stringent internal controls, but also to rigorous federal and state oversight of what is now 2.4 million miles of distribution and transmission pipeline infrastructure. Further, to ensure that the 165 million Americans served by that infrastructure DAviD n. PArker President and ceO dparker@aga.org get their gas safely, reliably, efficiently and in an environmentally responsible manner, our industry spends nearly $7 billion every year on safety-related programs and initiatives. Yet safety is much more than just a good business decision. What is also first and foremost in the minds of the employees who work at our member companies—whether it’s the CEO in the corner office, the operators in the call centers, or the meter readers and repair crews in the field—is that their customers are also their friends and neighbors. Natural gas utilities are “connected” to their customers both by the pipe that runs from the utility to the customer’s home or business, and by their daily interaction with their customers at the local community center, shopping mall, places of worship or town hall meeting. To that end, making those customers aware of how important safety is to our industry, and what they can do to help us improve it, is another priority. That includes taking action whenever customers think they detect a natural gas leak; it includes calling our “811 Call-Before-You-Dig” hotline whenever they or their neighbors are planning an excavation project (no matter how small), and it includes reading the safety tips often found in their monthly bill statements. Safety is first and foremost everyone’s responsibility. We believe spreading that message will help ensure that our industry maintains its well-deserved reputation for the safe and reliable delivery of America’s most domestically abundant and clean-burning primary energy source. 2 november 2010 AmericAn GAs

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Gas - November 2010

American Gas - November 2010
Contents
President’s Message
Industry News
Safety First
Ask AGA
Customers’ Top Energy Challenges—Solved
Making the Most of Social Media
Company Profiles
Places to Be
Marketplace
Advertisers’ Index
Noteworthies
Jobline
Facts on Gas

American Gas - November 2010