Impact identification and assessment

ExxonMobil’s projects and operations around the world provide socioeconomic benefits within and beyond the communities where we operate. While there are inherent risks in any type of development or operation, we seek to avoid those risks, reduce them to acceptable levels, or remedy the impacts.

Our Environmental Aspects Guide addresses identification and assessment of significant environmental and socioeconomic aspects consistent with our Environment Policy. Environmental aspects are activities, products, or services that can interact with the environment, including the “human environment” made up of social and economic aspects beyond climate and nature. 

Management and application

We use core processes and internal frameworks, including our Operations Integrity Management System (OIMS) and its integrated environmental management system, to systematically identify, assess, manage, and monitor environmental and socioeconomic risks, opportunities and impacts throughout the life cycles of our assets including:

• Environmental Aspects Assessment.
• Environmental, Socioeconomic, and Health Impact Assessment.
• Environmental, Socioeconomic, and Health Management Plans.

We engage with local communities and stakeholders to incorporate feedback, scientific understanding, and other due diligence information into these processes to enable safe and responsible operations. We periodically update these assessments to reflect any changes to operational complexity or socioeconomic sensitivities and amend management plans where needed.

For example, at the PNG LNG project in Papua New Guinea, of which ExxonMobil PNG Limited is the operator, the production Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) guides the work to manage and mitigate environmental, social, community health, safety and security impacts, and to meet obligations under Papua New Guinean legislative and regulatory requirements. 

The ESMP was developed after extensive consultation with stakeholders. It contains environmental and social management and mitigation measures, monitoring requirements established by the PNG LNG Environmental Impact Statement, and lessons learned from the project’s construction phase. It also incorporates the ExxonMobil Operations Integrity Management System framework and the International Finance Corporation Performance Standards and other international standards such as the Equator Principles. 

The ESMP consists of three environmental management plans that cover all PNG LNG facilities. An additional seven Social Management Plans (SMPs) are based on key social themes. Country-specific content commitments are contained within each of the SMPs, and ExxonMobil PNG Limited is accountable for implementing actions defined in the ESMP. More information can be found in the PNG LNG 2022 Annual Report.