ST. LOUIS, Feb. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its
commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by midcentury, Spire
announced today that Nick Popielski
has been appointed as the company's first Head of Environmental
Commitment.
In this new leadership position, Popielski will lead Spire's
environmental efforts, develop new processes and guide the
company's strategy behind its environmental commitment of achieving
carbon neutrality. Popielski will take on this added responsibility
while continuing to lead business and economic development,
positioning Spire to align environmental and business performance
goals.
The announcement comes on the heels of another strong year of
methane emission reduction at Spire. Through pipeline replacement
in fiscal year 2020, Spire's investment to replace 318 miles of
aging infrastructure resulted in a 19.2% leak reduction per 1,000
system miles of distribution pipelines. Overall, Spire has already
reduced methane emissions by more than 39% since 2005 and projects
a nearly 54% reduction by 2025, well ahead of international
standards.
"We want to build on this strong momentum by ensuring we have a
dedicated leader who will drive forward our commitment to
protecting our planet," said Suzanne
Sitherwood, Spire president and CEO. "With his proven
expertise and track record in leading our business and economic
development, we're happy to have Nick
Popielski help us truly advance Spire's environmental
efforts."
Such efforts have already earned Spire national recognition,
recently being named one of "America's Most Responsible Companies"
by Newsweek for a second consecutive year.
"Our focus on the environment aligns with our core values and
it's important we assign leadership to it," said Steve Lindsey, Spire chief operating officer.
"Nick's expertise in data and analytics position us to build on
what's already established and drive our strategy."
"We believe in caring for the planet. And we know that our
environmental initiatives are important to our customers as well,"
said Popielski, who joined Spire in 2015 as vice president of
business and economic development. "I'm excited to take on this
role and help Spire step forward to become carbon neutral and
ensure our customers have access to the affordable, reliable, clean
natural gas they rely on, every day."
A graduate of the University of
Rochester, Popielski earned a master's degree from the
University of Minnesota and an MBA from
Georgia State University's J.
Mack Robinson College of Business.
He has served on the American Gas Association's Sustainable Growth
Committee and Electrification Study Group, and currently serves on
their Carbon Neutral Strategies Steering Committee. In addition,
Popielski serves on the board of the Gas Technology Institute's
(GTI) Utilization Technology Development Group and oversees Spire's
participation in GTI's Emerging Technology Program, Carbon
Management Information Center, and Center for Methane Research.
Nick and his wife Dawn
Smith-Popielski live in St.
Louis.
About Spire
At Spire Inc. (NYSE: SR), we believe energy exists to help make
people's lives better. It's a simple idea, but one that's at the
heart of our company. Every day we serve 1.7 million homes and
businesses making us the fifth largest publicly traded natural gas
company in the country. We help families and business owners fuel
their daily lives through our gas utilities serving Alabama, Mississippi and Missouri. Our natural gas-related businesses
include Spire Marketing, Spire STL Pipeline and Spire Storage. We
are committed to transforming our business through growing
organically, investing in infrastructure, and advancing through
innovation. Learn more at SpireEnergy.com.
Media Contact:
Raegan Johnson
314-342-3300
Raegan.Johnson@SpireEnergy.com
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SOURCE Spire Inc.