Our Approach
Corporate responsibility at Williams
At Williams, corporate responsibility means:
- Adhering to our Core Values & Beliefs and our Code of Business Conduct and incorporating best practices into our corporate governance, financial and operating processes.
- Minimizing our footprint on the earth as we meet the growing demand for natural gas to heat homes and generate electricity across the nation.
- Building a safety culture throughout the organization that helps us reliably conduct our business and protect our employees and the communities where we operate.
- Engaging our stakeholders in open, honest and respectful dialogue and taking particular care to support the communities where we have operations.
Our Priorities
At Williams, we and our customers serve a vital role in meeting the ongoing energy needs of millions of consumers and businesses. The natural gas we responsibly develop, process and transport to markets is key to making that happen.
Natural gas is clean. It’s energy that is available in abundant, continuously expanding domestic supplies. And it’s energy that can play an increasingly important part in our economy and our environment – right now and for generations to come.
We intend to grow our natural gas-based businesses so that we generate superior value for investors in Williams and Williams Partners. At the same time, we intend to provide a rewarding, inclusive work environment and support communities where we live and work.
|
Business Priorities |
Progress Related to Sustainable Development |
| Invest in our natural-gas-based businesses | Invested more than $2 billion in several strategic expansions in our midstream and interstate gas pipeline business. Continued to invest in our growing olefins and Canadian midstream business – in the process of building a 261-mile NGL/olefins pipeline in Canada. |
| Pursue additional investment opportunities in new and emerging basins | Invested more than $2 billion in acquisitions; entered North Dakota’s Bakken Shale oil play; rapidly building a large-scale presence in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale play. |
| Comply with all applicable laws and regulations and continuously improve our safety and environmental compliance performance | Annual mandatory ethics and compliance training for all employees, the 2010 Lost Time Accident rate for the enterprise was the lowest in the last five years, the number of motor vehicle accidents decreased significantly across the enterprise, |
| Assess and manage risks effectively; exercise financial discipline and maintain investment-grade credit ratings | Greenhouse gas emissions considered prior to acquisitions; maintained investment-grade credit ratings, utilize Economic Value Added to measure annual performance and to ensure that business decisions are aligned with the long-term interests of our shareholders |
| Achieve or exceed our financial goals | Achieved a 38% increase in adjusted results, initiated high dividend strategy |
| Openly engage with communities, vendors and other stakeholders | Expanded the number of employees dedicated to community affairs; conducted more contractor training; solicited the opinion of residents in Texas to help formulate response to natural gas development; continued the Community Counts program in the Piceance Basin |
| Operate our business in a way that grows our reputation as a leader in environmental stewardship | EPA Natural Gas Star award in 2010; in 2011 recognized by the BLM |
