Earning the trust of our stakeholders by what we say and do is a part of the Devon culture and one of our corporate values. We’re committed to building relationships of mutual respect with our coworkers and their families, shareholders, neighbors, landowners, mineral-rights holders, policymakers, lawmakers, suppliers, vendors, services companies and schools. Together, we can find solutions and lay the foundation for ongoing cooperation.
We recognize that industrial processes and equipment used in oil and natural gas development can cause traffic, noise and other issues that affect our neighbors. We’re committed to improving the compatibility of our operations in the communities where we do business and helping mitigate the impact of industry activity. Devon has worked with industry coalitions, state agencies, business owners, individual landowners, local housing developers and others to enhance safety and quality of life in the vicinity of oil and gas operations.
Supporting first responders
Our focus on safety extends to partnering with the emergency responders who protect our communities. A DeWitt County, Texas, official didn’t hesitate to ask Devon for help when a brush fire started burning out of control within miles of our Cuero office in early 2022. The official was familiar with our local operations and capabilities because we’d built a relationship with them. Devon immediately called a local partner, who arranged for 7,000 gallons of freshwater, including 2,500 gallons from our field office reservoir, to be transported directly to the fire operations command post. Firefighters and emergency responders were able to control the fire with Devon’s help.
Our commitment to safety is reinforced by allocating about one-third of our annual giving in our field areas to helping first responders acquire equipment, trucks, training and supplies to support their crucial work. We also deliver holiday treats and host lunches and dinners to show first responders we appreciate their work. In southeast New Mexico, we participated in the Hometown Heroes program that recognized one emergency responder each month with a gift and a newspaper article about them.
Celebrating our communities
To celebrate the cultures and unique qualities of our communities, Devon donates to local fairs and events where we operate. In 2021, we contributed to the Cuero Turkeyfest, Christmas on the Pecos in Carlsbad, and Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. As a sponsor of Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming, we invited landowners, mineral-royalty owners, elected officials and other stakeholders to join us for the annual western celebration.
Nearly all of our operations in the North Dakota Williston Basin are located on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, home of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation (MHA Nation). We collaborate in a straightforward manner to earn and maintain the respect of the MHA Nation, including working closely to comply with their practices to reduce the spread of COVID-19 throughout the pandemic. We also assist tribal communities through charitable giving for educational, health and safety endeavors.
Responding to the urgent need for safer Permian Basin roadways
While only 2% of Texas’ population lives in the Permian Basin, 11% of traffic fatalities occur on the region’s roads that need $3 billion in repairs to improve safety and meet expected needs. As a sponsor of the Permian Road Safety Coalition (PRSC), Devon works with a cross-section of stakeholders invested in making roads safer and road infrastructure better across southeast New Mexico and west Texas.
Founded in 2015, PRSC brings together oil and gas industry companies and trade groups, agencies, researchers and concerned citizens to leverage expertise, share best practices and collaborate on data-driven research. PRSC also educates the broader community on the shared responsibility for road safety, including providing resources on its website to help everyone drive safely.
The coalition hosts road safety forums and training, and makes donations such as equipment and supplies for the Delaware Basin Emergency Preparedness Initiative (DBEPI) and matching funds to build a critical overpass project in Kermit, Texas. In 2021, PRSC donated $1.6 million for life-saving equipment to first responders across the region.
Devon also supports road safety through our membership in the Permian Strategic Partnership, which identified road safety as an area of urgent regional need through an analysis completed in 2018.
