In the 1920s El Paso Corporation founder Paul Kayser realized that the natural gas being burned as an unwanted by-product of oil exploration could itself be harnessed as a cleaner, long-lasting fuel. His vision changed the face of power generation, and as El Paso’s pipelines extended into the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic states in the mid-1900s, growing communities welcomed natural gas as a cleaner means for meeting their growing demands for residential and industrial fuel.

Times have changed, but that legacy of innovation is something we’re still proud of today.

How has El Paso survived for 80 years in this ever-evolving industry and how will we continue?

The challenge we face is determining how we grow our operations to provide an infrastructure that fuels the nation’s growth and supports our quality of life, but also honors the responsibilities we have to respect the environment, support neighboring communities, and encourage an appropriate work-life balance for our employees. I’m proud to say we’re rising to meet these challenges and getting better at it every day.

By understanding the important and meaningful work we do day in and day out, we’re able to grow our operations in a way that respects all stakeholders—from employees, residents near our operations, investors, and regulatory entities to emergency responders and the wildlife whose habitats we share.

This is our first corporate sustainability report, but being a good corporate citizen is not a new concept to us at El Paso. As more voices join the conversation about sustainability and corporate responsibility, the dialog on these topics will evolve. At El Paso, we’re excited to talk about how we manage our business and work with stakeholders to address the concerns and interests we share.