We strive to ensure that our business operations promote responsible environmental stewardship, generate economic opportunity and contribute to a more inclusive society. We function as a trusted partner in the community, guided by the principles of building strong relationships, transparency, frequent and proactive engagement, and assessing risks and impacts.
Community
- Our responsibility
- Community
Community development
We are committed to community development, aligning community investments with local needs and building connections with our neighbors in support of sustainable local economic development. Many of our community contributions represent multiyear commitments, further strengthening relationships and positive impacts. One priority of our community efforts is building the local workforce and supplier base, which benefits both our business and our communities.
Our Vice President of State Government and Community Affairs provides executive oversight and leadership on our stakeholder engagement, community investments, corporate giving and volunteer efforts. The VP and his team provide periodic updates to the CEO and members of senior management, and the Board at least annually. Board members receive updates on a range of community issues, including social risk assessments, community feedback and community investments.
Our stakeholder engagement approach focuses on listening to and engaging with local stakeholders regularly from early project development through all phases of permitting, construction and operations. We work with numerous stakeholder groups including residents, landowners, elected officials, government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, civic groups, first responders, local media, Indigenous peoples and other community leaders.
We also conduct social risk assessments to better understand local needs and inform our community investment program.
In addition, we log and track community feedback to help ensure we address concerns in a timely and transparent manner. We empower our site managers to serve as the primary engagement leads in our communities. This helps break down the barriers of single-point communication, guiding and empowering experts and senior leaders within our facility to engage with their counterparts beyond our fence line. We also continue to track and respond to indirect feedback received from social media platforms on issues related to traffic, air quality, flaring and local job creation.
Company procedures dictate requirements for charitable gifts or grants made on behalf of the company and its subsidiaries, including payments from the company, the Cheniere Foundation, the Employee Giving Fund and the Employee Matching Gifts program. The procedures provide guidance on the types of eligible organizations, anti-discrimination policies and requirements to ensure that organizations are recognized and/or registered charities and are financially solvent.
Ensuring the safety and well-being of our local communities is of utmost importance. To achieve this, each site has established communication methods to keep community members informed as needed. Proactive communication of operational activities and any health or safety concerns that might affect our communities is a vital aspect of our stakeholder engagement program.
We are committed to avoiding negative health and safety impacts to our local community.
Community members and other stakeholders have various channels to communicate with us, including email and toll-free phone numbers. Additionally, we partner with local entities to employ text-based and other messaging systems specifically designed for residents, facilitating their access to pertinent information about ongoing operations.
Our site-specific social impact assessments evaluate the community-focused environmental and social effects of our operations. This involves assessing local demographics and identifying potential impacts on human health, the environment, climate and other cumulative effects on economically disadvantaged communities, along with associated economic challenges. These assessments are continuously updated during ongoing operations. Our approach adheres to international best practices, including the Environmental and Social Performance frameworks of the International Finance Corporation, guidance from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the Equator Principles.
We respect the rights of Indigenous peoples and recognize the importance of preserving the cultural heritage of Indigenous communities and lands of historic tribal importance in proximity to, and which may be impacted by, our operations. Our operations in Texas and Louisiana are not located on or near designated Native American lands, and none of our operations have caused resettlement of Indigenous peoples.