Stewardship

Our businesses respect the Earth's natural resources and work hard to minimize the impact of our operations on the environment. While strict compliance with environmental regulations is a minimum, we continuously develop and implement strategies to improve our performance. That means smart operations management with respect to air and water quality and in some cases, implementing conservation plans to help ensure the survival of endangered and threatened habitat.

A Breath of Fresh Air

Our businesses manage and plan changes to their generation portfolios in response to local, state and national regulatory requirements, striking a balance between local air quality concerns and keeping electricity rates low for customers. From our natural gas pipeline delivery to our electricity generation, transmission and distribution operations, we continuously develop and implement strategies to improve our emissions performance.

Restoring Midwest Rivers and Lakes

Together with MidAmerican Energy Company, Berkshire Hathaway Energy funded the Illinois Quad Cities fish hatchery that supports the breeding and reintroduction of walleye and hybrid striped bass to the Mississippi River. We also funded placement of a mile-long pipe to carry Missouri River water used by MidAmerican Energy's Neal 4 generating unit to adjacent Brown's Lake and Snyder Bend rather than returning it to the river. The diversion restores the lakes' historic water levels by raising the level approximately three feet.

Avian Protection

As part of AltaLink's avian protection plan, environment and field teams work together to reduce the impact transmission facilities can have on birds. This includes relocating nests, installing nesting platforms so birds have a safe place to land and reducing collisions by installing bird markers to make power lines more visible to birds in flight. The installation of bird markers has reduced bird collisions with transmission facilities between 60% and 90%.

Building Homes for Endangered Bats

Northern Natural Gas partnered with Bat Conservation International to construct and install bat houses at facilities near Redfield, Iowa, and in Ottawa County, Kansas. The company continues to monitor the house locations and surrounding habitat. Through this research, Bat Conservation International can maintain the bat population and their significant benefits to agriculture.

Award-Winning Land Reclamation

To reduce environmental impacts, PacifiCorp has introduced many programs addressing wildlife protection, wetlands preservation, reducing hydroelectric facilities' impact on fish, plant relicensing, and bird interactions with power lines and wind turbines. The company also uses award-winning land reclamation techniques to restore habitat after completing mining operations.

Protecting the Desert Tortoise

When completing a major pipeline expansion, Kern River ensured the habitat of the threatened desert tortoise was protected, including the delicate desert grasses they rely on to survive. Because regeneration of these plants could require 50 years or more, a large-scale transplant effort took place. Over a four-month period, two environmental contractors and nearly 100 workers and inspectors flagged and transplanted the unique desert vegetation, restoring the area impacted by the project to pre-construction status.