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Vicki Granado, VP Corporate Communications, Energy Transfer Partners, discusses the recent donations made to emergency service organizations across the Dakotas, Iowa and Illinois.
The donations from Energy Transfer Partners are on behalf the Dakota Access Pipeline. The local counties in North Dakota are receiving checks from Energy Transfer Partners for $20,000.
Energy Transfer Partners also made donations to 4-H, Future Farmers of America and a couple other local organizations. Granado talks about investing in the foundation of the communities is another way to invest in the community and their employees.
The donation follows a $15 million dollar donation to the state of North Dakota to be used for law enforcement purposes.
Host Jason Spiess directs the conversation with Granado into the symbolism behind the major investments energy companies are making in the Bakken.
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Below is an unedited, raw Artificial Intelligence transcription.
Vicki Granado
Vicki Granado, Vice President of Corporate Communications for Energy Transfer Partners.
Jason Spiess
Outstanding. And thank you for joining us here today. We're talking about a recent donation uh that energy transfer partners did. So uh Vicki talked about the recent donation you guys made.
Vicki Granado
Well, I'd be happy to actually, the donation is coming from our Dakota access pipeline which went into service there um in North Dakota, originating in North Dakota, traveling across four states ending in Illinois. So that's been in service now a number of months. And it's part of our corporate philosophy that as we build pipelines and operate pipelines in communities across the country that we give back to those communities, we certainly want to be a valuable member of the
community, is a good business partner, that sort of thing. So, uh community investment is part of, it's part of what we do and, and it's, it's near and dear to, to the partnership. So we're doing that this week beginning um in North Dakota where we are reaching out to the, at the county level across the state. Um and, and donating $20,000 to each emergency response department, that's a logical partnership for us, if there ever was something where we had an incident needed a
response, that's where the response would come from. So it's certainly something that we view as a valuable relationship. We're also giving to uh four H and future farmers for future farmers of America groups that are in all the counties along the four state route. So we are, we're looking forward to forming these relationships that we view them as long term relationships as, as you know, when you build a pipeline, the pipeline operates for decades.
And so we view these relationships in the same way in North Dakota. This uh these donations actually follow a larger donation that we made a month or so ago. Now To the state of North Dakota, that one was a $15 million dollar donation that was a little larger for us than we typically do on a county by county basis.
But that was something we felt we uh was the right thing for us to do. Um in terms of all the support that um we received that the citizens of North Dakota received from the local law enforcement to help them cover their budget areas in and around the cost associated with that.
Jason Spiess
Well, I tell you, I imagine the 15 million came in very much handy, that sort of thing with budget cuts at the state level and the counties, you know, one thing I remember when I was out in Dickinson, I I learned this. I, I didn't, I kind of knew it but I didn't know the number was so big volunteer fire fighters. Now, you mentioned the emergency responders. I didn't know this. Like, it's something like 90% of fire departments in the country are volunteer.
And so when, whenever these, these donations come into these emergency emergency responders, boy, they really can make these nickels turn into dollars. Really. At the end of the day, they stretch. It is what I'm getting at. Um, did you know this about the firefighters at all? Or, or, or is, is this kind of um, old news, I guess?
Vicki Granado
No, I would say I didn't know specifically 90%, but yes, through our research, we have learned the same thing that, you know, that the surprising number of the fire departments are our volunteer. And, Um, and so as I mentioned earlier, this is something that we do across the partnership. We're doing it for Dakota access currently. But that is something that we do in all the counties in which we operate around the country.
So we, we operate 71,000 miles of pipeline across the country. Some of that is crude from natural gas, has refined products. So a wide variety of pipelines and working with the emergency response departments which does include the fire departments. Um, it's something at a partnership level that we do. And so we're certainly happy to extend that, you know, to North Dakota South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois.
Jason Spiess
Well, I think any time we can get the firefighters, uh, some, some new trucks and some new, new equipment, I think it's great. I just, um, yeah, I just, I don't think they get enough credit out there, that's for sure. I did want to ask you this. You mentioned, uh, four H, uh, F F A future Farmers of America. And then of course you've got the law enforcement and firefighters, that sort of thing. These are very foundational things for communities, you know, and you guys are in oil and gas.
I mean, it's, you, you aren't really giving to oil and gas, you're giving to things that are very important to communities outside of oil and gas. I mean, if you guys were to, you know, just to keep a community running, so to speak on, on, on, on a daily level, does that, do you guys, I guess, notice that or is that just something that I guess you guys have organically done?
Vicki Granado
You know, I guess we've organically done it. I think one of the things that drive, you know, Dakota access and energy transfer partners is, you know, I don't know if people sometimes overlook that. We like to say that, you know, we live here and work here as well. We're part, you know, part of the communities, we've got employees that operate and maintain our pipelines, which means in all these counties, we, we probably have employees that live in those counties.
So supporting the foundation of these communities. Uh, you know, it is something that our employees are also a part of. So it's, uh, it's just, you know, I guess being part of a good corporate citizen
Jason Spiess
that's, uh, that's important to point out too is the, is the corporate citizen part of it as well. Um So okay, final question here. We're talking with Vicki Granado with energy transfer partners talking about some donations that have, I guess, been given over the last few months to a number of different states, a number of different counties, a number of different agencies.
Um and the reason I bring up those different donations and I'm even gonna lump in a story or two. I did last year on Crestwood with a donation they give that they gave and um X T O as well. And even I'll even throw, you know, one oak in there with some of their um uh construction they've done, even Sidney Montana, putting new offices in that sort of thing. What I'm getting at is that the energy companies are not really wants to blow money unless it's done wise and they spend money wisely.
And it just seems like these are signs of long term commitments from the energy companies that, that's how I look at it like signs that, hey, they're, they're gonna stick around here for a long time because people always do question that it seems like, and the shale business has completely changed over the past decade, in my opinion. Um Does, do you have any idea what I'm talking about?
Vicki Granado
Sure, definitely. Um And yes, I think, you know, we again, pipelines um run and operate, you know, for decades. So we do look at this as a long term commitment. Our Ceo Kelcy Warren has been very open and has been quoted a number of times uh in media interviews that he has done that.
You know, this is a long term commitment from us in terms of Dakota access, specifically that we will continue to be a good corporate citizen in these communities. And it, you know, it is something that we will, you know, look at year after year, ...
Jason Spiess
any final thoughts, any final words,
Vicki Granado
you know, just that we were thankful for the support that we received when we were constructing the Dakota access pipeline. We're happy to say that it is safely in service and that again, you know, it's been a long process. We're happy to be where we are and we're happy to be ... back folks. If
Jason Spiess
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The Crude Life Podcast: Vicki Granado, Energy Transfer Partners