Collaboration with Texan by Nature aims for new conservation paradigm

Community News

Environment, Sustainability, Texas, New Mexico, Logistics
Along with gathering pipeline projects in the Texan by Nature initiative, G&P’s assets in the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico include facilities such as the Argo Hidalgo natural gas processing plant (above).
  • A nonprofit founded by former first lady Laura Bush is working with Marathon Petroleum’s midstream segment, MPLX, to further conservation practices in U.S. oil and natural gas fields.
  • Texan by Nature is helping MPLX’s Gathering and Processing component with a pilot program to identify conservation opportunities on pipeline construction projects in the Permian and Haynesville Basins of Texas and New Mexico.
  • The program is expected to culminate in a roundtable with industry peers that Texan by Nature facilitates to share lessons learned and promote cooperation on advancing conservation. 

A nonprofit founded by former first lady Laura Bush is helping Marathon Petroleum’s midstream segment, MPLX, elevate habitat restoration and water conservation in some of the busiest oil and natural gas fields in the U.S. Texan by Nature (TxN) is supporting a 2024 pilot program with MPLX’s Gathering and Processing (G&P) component that will integrate environmental strategies into G&P’s construction of gathering pipelines in the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico and the Haynesville Basin of East Texas.

As an example of restorative practices, vegetation grows in a G&P pipeline right-of-way (above) in the Permian Basin of Southeastern New Mexico where native seeds were planted after a construction project.
This map, which shows a monarch butterfly migration path (dotted line) in West Texas and northern Mexico, is helping identify G&P projects with the greatest potential benefit for pollinators.
“Our objective is to glean best practices that go beyond these two basins to become the new norm for the entire G&P footprint,” said G&P Advanced Environmental Engineer Ellie Murphy. “The potential exists for a paradigm shift in our project planning process, allowing us to combine greater conservation impact and shared value for landowners with cost savings.”

“We want to promote an industry dialogue to help establish a benchmark for cooperative efforts that advance conservation.”

TxN brings years of experience in linking business objectives with conservation needs through its involvement with more than 160 conservation groups. The pilot program aims to identify possibilities for increasing conservation in four main ways:  

  • using dark-sky lighting – adding fixtures that direct light downward on specific work areas, reducing glare and creating energy savings by allowing lower-wattage bulbs to be used
  • recycling water – diverting water used in natural gas gathering processes to treatment plants for subsequent reuse
  • restoring native vegetation – using seed mixtures that promote vegetative growth and established root systems that could also reduce soil erosion to protect against pipe exposure.    
  • restoring playas – connecting local landowners with the Texas Playa Conservation Initiative to assist in preserving playas – shallow depressions in clay soil – that hold rainwater and help recharge the Ogallala Aquifer, the largest in the U.S. 

Through a $150,000 investment by G&P, TxN is assessing 11 construction projects to determine the most promising conservation approaches to apply. All data will be incorporated into a geographic information system map to highlight the locations that represent the best use of time and resources. The program’s evaluations will continue through the end of this year, and the long-term effectiveness of each approach will continue to be measured over several years after construction ends.

The Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico includes several of G&P’s 11 gathering pipeline construction projects that Texan by Nature is assessing as well as playas – shallow depressions in clay soil – that hold rainwater and help recharge the Ogallala Aquifer, the largest in the U.S.

“In early 2025, TxN plans to facilitate an industry roundtable to allow us to discuss our experience, share lessons learned and get feedback from peer companies,” Murphy said. “We want to promote an industry dialogue to help establish a benchmark for cooperative efforts that advance conservation.”