American Oil and Gas Reporter - December 2017 - 96

Delegate Israel O'Quinn, R-Bristol, discusses energy education at VOGA's fall
meeting, held Oct. 11-12, at the Martha
Washington Inn in Abingdon, Va. VOGA
indicates that public education about
energy has been a major focus of its recent efforts.

place Sept. 26-27 at the Washington
County Fairgrounds and attracted more
than 4,000 seventh grade students from
17 Southwest Virginia school systems
and 46 schools. VOGA public relations
manager Beth Stockner and Josh Ball of
CONSOL Energy worked the VOGA
booth, which featured the Energy Wheel
game to help convey the logistics of
natural gas production and consumption
as well as its economic and environmental
benefits.
Future industry career opportunities
also were a part of the discussion, with
VOGA member EnerVest manning a
booth that gave students an opportunity
to experiment with hands-on, computeraided activities and offered a chance to
talk with natural gas professionals Anna
Hawkins, Shawna Johnson and Josh Price.
Several VOGA member companies
also represented Virginia's natural gas
industry at the annual Dickenson County
Energy Expo, which hosted approximately
200 middle school students. Other VOGA
outreach efforts have included taking part
in Virginia Energy Workforce Consortium
meetings in Richmond with both college
and high school education administrators
as well as the Virginia Secretary of Education.
Recognizing Excellence
The annual awards program put on by
VOGA and the Virginia Department of
Mines, Minerals and Energy, Division of
Gas and Oil offers another educational
component. In its third year, outstanding
achievements by members of the Virginia
gas and oil industry were recognized during VOGA's banquet.
CONSOL Energy was recognized as
96 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

2016 Operator of the Year for its continued
efforts to advance safety and significantly
improve its operations. As natural gas
markets continue to improve, the new
initiatives aimed at achieving additional
gains in production and cost performance
continue to improve at CONSOL. Partnerships were strengthened with contractors and vendors and CONSOL made
changes that allowed it to meet changing
market conditions and keep advancing
activity and investment in Virginia's
natural gas industry.
Its projects this year included improvements in energy efficiency, drilling
and production. The company supported
several pipeline safety awareness events
and representatives met with local fire
departments to better prepare them in
the event of an emergency. Perhaps most
notable has been CONSOL's commitment
to bettering the communities in which it
operates. The company supported several
schools, local libraries, food pantries,
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
and other regional festivals, fairs and cultural events.
The Local Distribution Company of
the Year 2016 award went to Virginia Natural Gas for maintaining its values, which
have been key to its sustained success and
commitment to building the future of Virginia energy throughout recent mergers.
Since its beginning in 1849, VNG has become one of the largest local distribution
companies, serving more than 293,000
customers in southeastern Virginia.
The company's legacy has grown with
time thanks to committed leadership and
a workforce dedicated to the safety of its
people, pipelines and the public. It is evident in projects such as Steps to Advance
Virginia's Energy plan, and the conservation and rate making efficiency program
known as energySMART. The company
also earned a V3 program certification
for creating opportunities to transition

Pausing with the Energy
Wheel at VOGA's booth
are Beth Stockner (right)
VOGA public relations
coordinator and Barbara Altizer from the Virginia Coal and Energy
Alliance. VOGA was an
exhibitor at the United
Way of Southwest Virginia Ignite Program Careers Expo for Youth,
held Sept. 26-27 at the
Washington County, Va.,
Fairgrounds and attracted more than 4,000 seventh graders.

retired military personnel into Virginia's
workforce. Through innovative projects,
strategic partnerships and public awareness
programs, VNG distinguishes itself as
an industry leader. It is strongly dedicated
to environmental stewardship, committed
to providing outstanding customer service
and to operating the state's safest and
most reliable natural gas distribution system.
The Leadership Award went to Leon
Boyd, vice president of Noah Horn Well
Drilling, and co-owner of L&D Well
Service. The award acknowledges industry
leaders or volunteers who go above and
beyond their duties, either for their companies or the entire industry. Boyd has
worked tirelessly to promote the industry,
be an environmental steward and develop
habitats for threatened species.
Winning the Environmental Quality
Award was E. Dillon and Company. The
award recognizes a company's efforts and
performance in operating responsibly for
its stakeholders and for being a good environmental steward. E. Dillon & Co. was
commended for its expertise in road surfacing-an essential component of gas production-by delivering countless loads of
stone for road surfacing to assist operators
with erosion and sedimentation control
and address vehicular wear and tear. The
company's well-deserved reputation for
customer service and expertise is evident
at the end of every road surfacing job.
More Awards
The Excellence in Safety Award, which
recognizes excellence in any area associated with safe operations, environmental
protection and/or regulatory compliance
during the production, transmission and/or
distribution of natural gas in Virginia,
went to Gas Field Services. The company
has taken a lead in the safety training
and reporting of Virginia gas and oil operators. All members attend annual con-

American Oil and Gas Reporter - December 2017

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