Welcome to the National Fuel Employee/Retiree Portal
A message from Dave Smith...
To my National Fuel colleagues:
As a member of the National Fuel family for more than 35 years, I write to you today to expand upon the recently announced organizational change. At last week's Annual Meeting of Stockholders for National Fuel Gas Company, my friend and esteemed colleague Ron Tanski was elected Chief Executive Officer. While for many of you this transition may seem unplanned, I can assure you that this leadership shift is part of a continuous and deliberate succession plan that has been developed at the highest levels of the organization and by members of the Board of Directors, myself included.
Every forward-thinking business evolves its leadership and has succession planning in place to ensure operational continuity. While I can appreciate that change may be unnerving, please know that it is business as usual here at National Fuel as Ron has been managing the day-to-day operations of this Company for several years. The business priorities and direction for the Company will not change. Ron and I have been fortunate to serve and guide this organization in tandem, along with our predecessors Phil Ackerman, Bernie Kennedy and Lou Reif, as it has evolved from a solid local Utility to the integrated energy company it is today. If you are not aware, Ron and I were law school classmates many years ago and our friendship and collegiality has continued as our professional capacities developed within the National Fuel family. From my vantage point, National Fuel is in a great place with tremendous growth potential, and Ron is the perfect choice to steer us into the future.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my five years as Chief Executive Officer of the Company and look forward to my new position as I remain an employee and executive officer at National Fuel, and serve as Executive Chairman of the Board. My role will include oversight for the Board of Directors, and extensive work with many of its committees. I will also provide strategic direction and insight to the executive team, as requested by Ron. As well, I will remain an active member of the business community maintaining my professional involvements including Chairman of The Business Council of New York State, a member of the University at Buffalo Law School Dean's Advisory Committee, and a board member for the Buffalo Sabres Foundation.
On the personal side, this transition will allow me to spend more quality time with my family, both in Buffalo and Arizona and all points in between. As Vince Lombardi once said, "the achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual," and with that in mind you have my sincerest thanks and credit for all the hard work and everything we accomplished together. I look forward to continuing to work hard on behalf of National Fuel and with the Company's greatest asset - its talented workforce.
David F. Smith
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
Ronald Tanski named CEO
National Fuel Announces Management Changes
A message from Dave Smith...
Communication is a crucial element in establishing and strengthening long-standing bonds between an employer and its employees. Employees - both currently employed and retired - are one of our Company's greatest assets. It has been proven time and time again that our investment in employee recruitment, development and retention provides exponential returns.
With that in mind, I am pleased to introduce the National Fuel employee/retiree portal that will link you to National Fuel SOURCE, an electronic publication for and about the employees and retirees of this Company - the National Fuel family. Rather than focus strictly on company news, it will highlight the people of our Company. In keeping with the times, as we seek to transition more of our customer base to paperless conversation, we are using the internet for distribution of the information. Consistency in our message is important as we increase our efforts requesting customers move to a more efficient means of communication with us and managing their accounts through online services. The development of the portal is an outgrowth of our efficiency efforts.
The goal of this publication is two-way communication. We invite and encourage your feedback and want to know what you'd like to read or learn more about both within the Company and the industry as a whole. As well, we need your updates as the back pages of SOURCE are about the National Fuel family. News updates or feedback can easily be delivered by completing the email contact form within the portal.
With all of the efficient operations and sophisticated equipment in business today, the success of a company depends, in the final analysis, on its people. By investing in our people, in part through enhanced communication, we are investing in our organization's future. The quality of our service relies on the spirit, confidence and motivation of our employees - both past and present. Our retirees have built a proud past which is leading National Fuel to a bright future and each one of you are an ambassador for this organization in the communities where you live and work. I hope that you find this new communication tool informative and useful and I hope that we can add you as part of our story as we write the next chapter for National Fuel.
David F. Smith
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
Hydraulic fracturing is safe, highly regulated, key to energy goals
An unprecedented opportunity exists that can advance our nation's economy and provide the energy security to power this country for generations to come. As natural gas companies unlock vast supplies of clean natural gas - right here in America - we understand that this opportunity comes with the responsibility to be dedicated stewards of local land, air and water. National Fuel has been a diligent steward of the environment for more than 100 years while Seneca Resources places this as a top operational priority. Despite the benefit of shale gas development now being advanced through horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracing), environmental groups, the media and others are condemning the process. As current and retired National Fuel employees, it is important for you to understand the facts about how this technology works.
Fracing is not a new technology. Hydraulic fracturing was first tested in 1903 and first used commercially in the late 1940s. The process has been applied to more than one million wells in 27 states, and currently about 35,000 wells each year undergo some hydraulic fracturing. In fact, most oil and gas wells have undergone some level of fracturing during their productive lifetime.
On average, 99.5 percent of fracing fluids consist simply of water and sand. The remaining .5 percent consists of chemical additives, most of which can be found in your home. These fluids are injected into rock that contains oil and natural gas, thousands of feet below freshwater supplies. The industry, including Seneca, began listing the chemicals in the public domain nearly two years ago at
fracfocus.org.
Like all procedures associated with the development of energy, fracing is highly regulated by numerous local, state and federal laws and agencies.
While this process has an exemplary safety record, the industry continues to adopt improvements in practices and technology to further protect the environment.
Nearly 99 percent of the natural gas consumed in the U.S. is produced in North America, and since it emits just over half of the carbon dioxide of coal, greater use of natural gas will reduce carbon emissions in the coming years. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) continues to report the dramatic decline in energy-related carbon emissions - nearly back to mid-1990s levels, and falling. The likely explanation for the decline is the shale gas revolution.
The shale drilling boom underway across Pennsylvania, Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and beyond has been creating jobs, reducing and stabilizing natural gas prices and spurring billions of dollars of investment in new production and delivery capacity. At a time when our nation needs more natural gas to address the challenges of energy security, environmental responsibility, affordability and jobs, hydraulic fracturing is a vital technology for meeting that demand. Through the dedication and hard work of our employees, National Fuel will continue to advance these priorities, and remains committed to the safe, responsible development, transmission and delivery of natural gas.
David F. Smith
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer