Meritage Midstream Services

Meet our team

At Meritage we care about community and the environment. We have a deep and abiding respect for this country — for the land, the air, the water, the wildlife, and the people. We demonstrate that respect in everything we do.

Below, you’ll find basic information on a number of topics along with a little bit about our point-of-view. Please scroll down or use the following Quick Links for discussions on:

Safety
Detecting A Leak
National Call-Before-You-Dig Program
Information For Landowners
For Communities
Environmental Stewardship

Safety
Our first commitment is to public health and safety. We meet that commitment by maintaining best practice standards in the safe and responsible construction and operation of our pipelines and facilities. Safe, healthy and environmentally sound operations are fundamental to the way we do business.

Pipeline safety is regulated by the United States Department of Transportation and by designated state agencies. Over 200,000 miles of pipeline crisscross our country. Generally buried underground, they are the safest and most efficient way to move large amounts of natural gas, crude oil, chemicals, and related products. These are the products we depend on every day to heat our homes, generate electricity, and cook our food. Pipelines also reduce air and water pollution by eliminating the need for trucks and ships on our roads and waterways.

It is important to know where pipeline are located in your community and how to recognize unusual conditions and the signs of a possible leak. The National Pipeline Mapping System is available online at www.npms.phmsa.dot.gov. Pipelines are marked by above ground signs to provide an indication of their presence, location, product carried and the name and contact information of the company that operates the pipeline. These markers are usually red, black or yellow. (top)

Detecting A Leak
The best way to detect a possible pipeline spill or a leak is to use sight, smell, and sound. A spill or a leak may exist if:

You see dead or discolored vegetation that is otherwise green along a pipeline right of way (ROW).
You see pools of liquid not otherwise usually present.
You see a cloud of vapor or mist not otherwise usually present along the pipeline ROW.
You smell an unusual odor or scent of petroleum along a pipeline ROW.
You hear an unusual hissing or roaring sound along a pipeline ROW.

If you suspect or recognize a leak you should take the following actions:

Leave the leak area immediately. Walk into the wind and away from possible hazardous fumes.
Do not touch, breath or make contact with leaking liquids.
Do not light a match, start an engine, use a telephone (even a cell phone), switch on/off light switches or do anything that may create a spark.
From a safe location, call 911 or your local emergency response number and the pipeline company.
Provide your name, phone number, a description of the leak and its location.
Warn others.
Do not drive into a leak or vapor cloud area. (top)

Call Before You Dig
Excavation is the single largest cause of damage to the nation’s pipeline system. It accounts for nearly 40% of all accidental spills. You can help maintain the integrity of the pipeline system and prevent accidents by using the nationwide Call-Before-You-Dig service, available by calling 811. Anyone who will be digging or excavating using mechanized equipment — commercial contractors, road maintenance crews, telephone pole installers, fence builders, landscape companies, or home owners who may be digging a drainage ditch, installing a fence or building an addition — can make one telephone call to give notice of their plans to dig in a specific area.

The 811 center then acts as a clearinghouse to inform the owners and operators of underground facilities so that they can go out and mark their facilities, usually within 48 or 72 hours. (top)

For Landowners
At Meritage, we are serious about being good neighbors. Open communication and good relationships are fundamental, core principles. We often execute written agreements or easements with landowners to allow us to build and maintain pipeline rights-of-way or other facilities on private property. A right-of-way is a strip of land that contains the pipeline or facility and clear access area on either side for inspection and maintenance as well as an unobstructed view for ongoing aerial surveillance. A pipeline right-of-way is generally 75 to 100 feet wide during construction. Permanent rights-of-way are usually 50 feet wide.

An easement is a right to make use of another person’s property. If we are thinking about locating a pipeline or a related facility on or adjacent to your property we will contact you early in the process as we study the route and asses its environmental impact. We may ask you for an easement or an option to purchase some of your property to establish rights-of-way for construction and operation of a pipeline or other facilities like valves and receivers, compressor stations and sub-surface storage fields.

As good neighbors, we are dedicated to working closely with you minimize the impact of our operations on buildings, fences, crops, water supplies, soil, vegetation, air quality, and noise levels. Meritage is committed to the protection of endangered species and wildlife, wetlands, and archeological and historic sites. We will also restore the land as soon as construction is complete and weather permits. And you can always call us with your questions and concerns. Please contact Ahna Mee, Director of Landowner & Community Relations: 303.551.8151, A.Mee@MeritageMidstream.com. (top)

For Communities
Meritage Midstream is deeply engaged with the communities where we do business. A long-term commitment to promoting a vibrant, healthy and prosperous community life is an integral part of who we are. We are active participants through hands-on employee volunteerism, charitable support programs, and our ongoing efforts to reduce our environmental footprint and mitigate impact. (top)

Environmental Stewardship
Meritage is dedicated to protecting the environment and vibrant quality of life in all of the communities where we do business — from the expansive Texas plains to the magnificent mountains and forests of the Rocky Mountain West. We are dedicated to clean and clear air, the integrity of our rivers and streams; robust agriculture; abundant wildlife; and spacious public lands. These core value drive the way we design midstream solutions for our customers. We believe that environmentally sound practices and operations are compatible with meeting the nation’s energy requirements and we are always looking for sustainable alternatives. Our water management solutions mitigate the surface impact of drilling operations and create a net gain in water for arid locations. Carbon dioxide sequestration operations reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We also strive to integrate reclamation programs and best practices in energy conservation and efficiency into all of our operations. Environmental stewardship is not just a catch phrase at Meritage Midstream, it’s a way of life. (top)

J. STACY HORN, VICE PRESIDENT, SOUTHERN REGION
Stacy Horn joined Meritage in March, 2010. Stacy oversees the company’s operations in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. He provides leadership to a variety of key initiatives, including the company’s gas gathering system in the Eagle Ford Shale region in South Texas. The Eagle Ford Shale, which stretches from the Mexican border along the Gulf Coast toward Louisiana, covers more than 10 million acres.
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