By taking a personal approach with communities, we are able to build strong relationships and an environment of transparency, courtesy and trust. This allows us to better manage potential risks and impacts to local stakeholders and our business while supporting mutually beneficial relationships and creating long term value.

In 2021, we continued with our Social and Stakeholder Engagement Issues Working Group (IWG) quarterly calls. The IWG seeks to provide a platform for knowledge sharing on best practices, as well as to track emerging topics and monitor the progress of the different business units regarding their engagement with communities and other key stakeholders.

We identified Just Transition as an emerging issue becoming increasingly important to stakeholders. The Paris Agreement notes the imperatives of a Just Transition of the workforce and the creation of decent work and quality jobs in accordance with nationally defined development priorities. To better understand the implications in the context of our path to net-zero, we created a multidisciplinary task force.

Listening and Integrating Stakeholder Input into Business Decisions

As we gain further understanding about stakeholders’ values, priorities and concerns, we seek to integrate their input into our plans and operations. Through inclusive and transparent engagement, we work with stakeholders to find mutually beneficial solutions that address the impacts of our operations on their communities.

Alaska

In Alaska, we have frequent engagements with communities located closest to our operations from community meetings, open houses, and reports to state and local organizations. For our proposed Willow project in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A), there has been extensive public involvement including more than 40 days of public comment and 13 in-person public meetings in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Nuiqsuit, Utqiagvik, Atqasuk, and Anaktuvuk Pass since the Environmental Impact Statement process commenced in 2018.

In response to comments and feedback collected from our stakeholders about our proposed Willow project, a proposed offshore gravel island was eliminated, and a land-based ice road module transportation route was adopted. Speed limits and road width have been reduced to minimize potential caribou impacts.

An important focus of our engagement was facilitating and improving subsistence access including:

• Full access to all new Willow roads for nearby residents.
• Proposed new boat ramps to improve subsistence access to key rivers.
• Proposed subsistence road ramps and pullouts every 2-3 miles to improve hunter access from new roads.

For the past decade, we’ve met regularly with subsistence representatives from areas near our operations to discuss planned helicopter and small aircraft operations as well as locations of hunting and gathering activities to ensure our operations don’t interfere with the subsistence lifestyle of our neighbors. Those virtual discussions led us to postpone all flights for a week during caribou migration at the request of Nuiqsut Village representatives. Read more about how we manage helicopter traffic near our operations.

We also have robust environmental study programs at existing operations that include:

• Air quality monitoring stations.
• Caribou, bird and fish surveys; hydrology studies.
• Lake water quality and recharge monitoring.
• Subsistence hunting studies.
• Tundra rehabilitation.

Extensive environmental baseline studies are conducted in all potential areas of new operations. New projects are subject to rigorous permitting and public review processes.

Australia

We worked with Reconciliation Australia to develop a Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). Based around the core pillars of relationships, respect and opportunities, our RAP provides tangible actions and meaningful steps to advance reconciliation in Australia with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, increasing economic equity and supporting First Nations self-determination. Our RAP guides us to strategically set reconciliation commitments in line with our business objectives and was formally endorsed by Reconciliation Australia in late 2021. Read more about the RAP.

Canada

In Canada, Indigenous Peoples (who consist of First Nations, Métis and Inuit) have legally protected rights within their traditional territories. Due to the close proximity of Indigenous communities to our Canadian operations, we have developed a values and interest assessment (VIA) process to guide our relationships with those communities to create positive, sustainable outcomes. The VIA process starts with our External Relations team building relationships through authentic, collaborative dialogue with members of the community. Next, we work with the community to create a shared vision and to discuss ways we can work together. The third stage centers around planning and focuses on collaboratively prioritizing ideas and creating structures and processes for working together. The ideas are turned into a shared action plan to be implemented and assessed. The VIA process can result in formal agreements with interested Indigenous communities in close proximity to large developments. Such agreements formalize the respectful relationship between our company and the community by focusing on creating shared value and addressing the specific promises, obligations and benefits for both parties, and, like many agreements, is confidential. Agreements typically include a process to understand and address concerns and opportunities about our activities as well as language committing both parties to work toward mutually beneficial relationships.

In Northeast British Columbia, we continue to work with local communities as we develop our Montney project. We have a “life of project” Relationship Agreement with the Halfway River First Nation (HRFN) that supports collaborative processes around community engagement and contracting. HRFN and ConocoPhillips worked together in 2021 to broaden our existing pre-engagement approach. This included planning, review and discussion of surface pad site area (SPA) options to be used during the 3-to-4-year development of the project. A review of possible options within the Montney acreage was overlaid with HRFN’s Land Information System, improving awareness for both parties. This exercise provided an opportunity to build HRFN knowledge and values into the overall development plan, both in the short and long term.  As the process funneled toward project-specific sites, pre-engagement continued to be key, including joint field review and discussion. We strive to follow a similar process with other key Indigenous stakeholders.

Building and Strengthening Local Economies and Communities

Helping improve the quality of life in the communities where we live and work is a fundamental value for ConocoPhillips and our employees. We prioritize working with stakeholders to identify and support programs and identify opportunities to publicly leverage our role as a corporate citizen that will make a real difference in communities.

Alaska

Fifty percent of federal revenue from NPR-A is available to communities impacted by oil and gas development through a mitigation grant program. As a community impacted by development in the area, Nuiqsut is eligible to receive funding for community projects from this program. We have partnered with the City of Nuiqsut, the Native Village of Nuiqsut and the Kuukpik Corporation to create the Nuiqsut Community Development Foundation, a nonprofit focused on building capacity in the community to access grants by providing services for project planning, grant writing and administration and project execution. As a result of this increased capacity, the city has received a significant increase in grants for projects and operations in the village during the past few years.

Australia

Since 2011, we have financially supported a range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-oriented community investment initiatives. Program support is weighted towards education and training programs, many of which are tailored to specific local area requirements. For the Indigenous Pathways Traineeship Program, we collaborated to create job opportunities in the natural gas industry for Gladstone locals identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The program has run annually since early 2020 and provides two Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander trainees the opportunity to develop practical skills, through learning hands-on from experienced LNG professionals and in a classroom environment. The training counts towards a Certificate II in Engineering Production upon completion.

Canada

For more than two decades, we have worked with Indigenous-owned businesses near our oil sands operation to develop local capacity. The Surmont project is in proximity to three First Nations communities and four Métis organizations with whom ConocoPhillips regularly engages for business opportunities, a priority expressed by community leadership. The Cooperation and Mutual Benefits Agreement (CMBA) with Fort McMurray First Nation (FMFN) directs FMFN and ConocoPhillips to identify mutual areas of interest and benefit, and build trust, respect, and a formal commitment to a stronger relationship. Regarding business interests, the two parties meet regularly to discuss:

• Local contracting capacity, capabilities and opportunities.
• Shared goals for local business benefits.
• Opportunities to support FMFN community values and vision.

At our Montney development, we launched an effort to promote the inclusion of Indigenous vendors at all stages of the supply chain to support a healthy contracting relationship with Indigenous communities near our operations. We established business working groups with both HRFN and Blueberry River First Nation and continue to discuss shared goals and values, share contracting outlooks, and provide feedback on existing contractors and/or bid processes to support Indigenous vendors in building their capacity and developing their businesses. These efforts have increased economic participation in ConocoPhillips activities by Indigenous vendors.

Indonesia

In the first quarter of 2022, the company completed the sale of assets in Indonesia. During our period of operation in Indonesia, we worked with stakeholders to support economic development through capacity-building and contracting opportunities for local businesses. We helped establish a Rubber Farmers Group in 2002 in collaboration with the local rubber research institution, Sembawa, to improve the quality and quantity of latex production as well as the marketing capabilities of farmers. Approximately 1,200 restored acres of a rubber plantation have been managed by more than 700 farmers and two local latex marketing groups from the villages near our former operations in the Musi Banyuasin Regency of Indonesia’s South Sumatra province. To help expand their businesses, each group received items including latex processing machinery and rubber band production equipment. They also participated in sales, marketing and basic accounting training to promote self-sufficiency after ConocoPhillips’ 2022 divestment. Additionally, our economic empowerment efforts in Indonesia continued to facilitate small business development training and capital support for 150 local entrepreneurs that helped them sustain their businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since 2002, we had sponsored a scholarship program that provided financial assistance to local university students and elementary and high school teachers to obtain undergraduate degrees. More than 6,150 students from villages near our operations in the Musi Banyuasin regency have received support. The program has also helped recipients develop their social and entrepreneurial skills, which they can then apply to helping other members of their communities.

Malaysia

Our ongoing partnership with MyKasih, through the ‘Love My School’ program, supports children from underprivileged and low-income households. The program aims to help students from disadvantaged families by providing schoolbooks and stationery from the school bookstore, as well as food and drinks from the school canteen. Around 330 underprivileged students from six primary schools in Sabah and Sarawak are provided this assistance via a student smartcard annually.

We have also awarded scholarships to Geology students from University Malaya (UM) and Petroleum Engineering students from University Technology Malaysia (UTM) since 2006.

U.S Lower 48

Supporting youth and workforce development in local communities is a priority for ConocoPhillips. In 2021, we established the ConocoPhillips Career Technical Education Scholarship Program, providing $135,000 in scholarships for 40 students pursuing select associate degrees in Texas, New Mexico and North Dakota. In Texas’s Eagle Ford, ConocoPhillips also awarded ConocoPhillips Legacy Scholarships to seven Karnes County high school seniors, totaling $35,000. To date, ConocoPhillips has awarded $260,000 to students in the Eagle Ford.

ConocoPhillips also donated $100,000 to support the Bakken Area Skills Center in McKenzie County, ND. Through collaborative partnerships with secondary education and post-secondary education/training and local employers, the center will provide career and technical education and training to high school students and incumbent workers throughout the Bakken region.

We are a member of the Permian Strategic Partnership (PSP), a coalition of 16 energy companies working to address current and future challenges associated with oil and gas development. In 2021, we also partnered with Permian Basin Regional Planning Commission (PBRPC) and other local charities to support local health, safety and education initiatives.

Health initiatives:

• Launched the Texas Tech Family Residency Initiative expanding Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Family Medicine & Mental Health Fellowship Residency to address the shortage of health care workers in the Permian Basin. Collaborated with West Texas Counseling & Guidance to expand mental health services in the Permian Basin, specifically Lea and Eddy counties, New Mexico.
• Donated masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment to Manor Park, a continuing care retirement community in Midland, to help protect residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Launched the Texas Tech Physician Assistant Program Initiative to expand Midland teaching and lab facilities, increase student capacity, rotate students among rural Permian hospitals and encourage medical careers.

Safety initiatives:

• Partnered with the Permian Basin Regional Planning Commission (PBRPC) to improve road safety and reduce the number of traffic-related injuries and deaths in the Permian Basin by funding a 10-year cell tower lease agreement project in Orla, Texas. ConocoPhillips provided $123,000 for constructing the tower, which will support the PBRPC’s 9-1-1 Emergency Department and bring radio operability to first responders in the rural Delaware Basin.
• Partnered with the Permian Road Safety Coalition (PRSC) to provide emergency first responders in 22 counties in Texas and New Mexico with life-saving equipment kits.
• Funded the construction of a new building for the Northeast Midland Volunteer Fire Department to better serve the surrounding Midland areas.
• Provided funding for life-saving ballistic vests for officers of the Midland County Sheriff’s Office.

Education initiatives:

• Partnered with the University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) in collaboration with the UTeach Institute and local school districts to develop a 4.5-year implementation program addressing STEM teacher shortage while enhancing the preparedness of STEM teachers by UTPB. The program allows students to earn both a STEM degree and teaching certification without additional time or cost.
• Kicked off the Catalyst Initiative working to expand Permian Basin high school and community training programs. The program aims to identify high-demand occupations in the energy industry and align those occupations with education and training opportunities in the Permian Basin.
• Supported the Texas A&M Engineering Academy Program at Midland College to support student efforts to obtain bachelor’s degrees in engineering. The Texas Workforce Commission expects a 25% growth in engineering jobs statewide over the next decade.

Read more about how we are supporting community safety in the Permian Basin.

Globally

We support charities near our operations by funding programs that support education, civic and social services, arts, health and the environment.

Engaging employees

Our employees strive to improve the quality of life in the communities where we live and work.

• Despite a challenging year with employees continuing to work from home due to the pandemic, ConocoPhillips Canada staff volunteered 893 hours on a range of activities in 2021, including making lunches for kids through Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids, planting trees and cleaning our river and pathways with the City of Calgary and wrapping gifts for families in need with Dreams Take Flight.
• In Eagle Ford, employees volunteered nearly 250 hours to serve local nonprofits including the Floresville Lions Club, Bulldog Education Foundation and Yoakum Rotary Foundation.
• With our Bakken operations close to Little Missouri State Park, each year our employees volunteer in the spring to prepare the campground facilities and riding trails for tourist season.
• In New Mexico, employees distributed food to community members in need through the United Way and cleaned up trash and public spaces with the City of Carlsbad and Bureau of Land Management.
• In Australia, employees rolled up their sleeves to help clean up the beaches with Reef Clean and Clean Up Australia. Read more about some of our efforts around the globe.

Read more about some of our efforts around the globe.