Better Health for All

Kinder Morgan's core business of transporting and storing natural gas, crude oil, and refined petroleum products is directly linked to severe and widespread negative health impacts on communities. Its operations have caused significant pollution, including drilling fluid spills that contaminated aquifers, leaving residents reliant on bottled water for over a year

. A 2014 gasoline spill contaminated groundwater with hazardous chemicals, with long-term public health impacts remaining a concern and communities advocating for more effective remediation . Air pollution from facilities has been associated with high asthma rates and elevated respiratory hazards, disproportionately affecting minority and low-income residents . The EPA has issued orders for soil and groundwater investigations due to contamination with hazardous compounds like benzene . Furthermore, the company challenged an EPA plan to reduce ozone emissions impacting public health , and a U.S. appeals court halted a pipeline project due to concerns about risks to community well-being . These incidents demonstrate major health-harming externalities with inadequate remediation efforts.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

Kinder Morgan Inc. is an energy infrastructure company and does not offer lending, insurance, or deposit services to consumers. As such, the KPIs under 'Fair Money & Economic Opportunity' are not applicable to its core business, resulting in a score of 0 for each. The company's rates for its transportation and storage services are subject to regulatory oversight by entities like FERC or state regulators

. While Kinder Morgan engages in community investments, such as Kinder Morgan Foundation donations totaling $2,852,000 in 2024 , and offers an employee stock purchase plan (eligible for approximately 96% of employees in 2024) , these initiatives do not directly align with the specific definitions of the KPIs, which focus on customer financial products or profit reinvestment in community finance.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

Kinder Morgan settled a lawsuit in January 2025 concerning alleged disability discrimination and improper termination of a former employee.

This represents one substantiated labor law violation within the past three years (from January 2022 to January 2025).

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

Kinder Morgan directed approximately 10% of its 2022 procurement spend, totaling $306 million, to diverse suppliers, including veteran, minority, and women-owned businesses

. The company hosted a Diverse Supplier Showcase to foster connections and communicate bid opportunities . Additionally, Kinder Morgan has a Conflict Minerals Policy, with annual compliance reports, aimed at ending violence and human rights violations related to conflict minerals .

Honest & Fair Business

Kinder Morgan is recognized by Sustainalytics in the top 15% of its industry peers for ESG performance.

The company incurred $2.334 million in ethics-related regulatory fines and legal losses over the last three years (2022-2024), comprising $934,000 in environmental fines and $1.4 million in monetary losses related to federal pipeline and storage rate regulations. No fines for bribery or corruption were reported for 2021-2023. Kinder Morgan maintains an Ethics Hotline, a third-party platform, for confidential and anonymous reporting of concerns, with employees required to undergo annual training on the Code of Conduct. Reported concerns are evaluated and investigated by internal departments. The company's anti-corruption policies explicitly prohibit bribes, kickbacks, and facilitation payments of any kind, and the Supplier Code of Conduct outlines anti-corruption expectations.

Kind to Animals

Kinder Morgan's operations have documented impacts on wildlife and habitats. In 2024, permits for a gas pipeline were halted due to concerns over negative impacts on aquatic habitats

. Earlier projects also threatened endangered species, including the golden-cheeked warbler (2019) and critically endangered Southern Resident killer whales (2016) . A 2004 diesel spill impacted the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse, leading to a $5.3 million settlement for environmental violations . Conversely, in 2024, the company collaborated to restore seven acres of tidal marsh, which improved fish health and wetland growth, achieving Conservation Certified Silver level . For other animal-related KPIs such as cruelty-free certification, animal testing, animal agriculture, or ethical sourcing of animal-derived ingredients, the company's energy infrastructure business model is not applicable, and no relevant evidence was found that directly maps to the rubric's quantitative thresholds or specific qualitative conditions.

No War, No Weapons

Kinder Morgan Inc. has engaged in defense-related activities, securing contracts totaling over $230 million with the U.S. Department of Defense and Navy between 2018 and 2020.

The company has a conflict minerals policy, implemented since 2014, applicable to its manufacturing operations. This policy applies to its manufacturing operations, which generated approximately 0.1% of its revenue from 2020 to 2023. KMI conducts an annual conflict minerals survey process. , publishing reports on its website. This process also functions as an annual review for partners with conflict-related risks, identifying vendors whose subcomponents contain conflict minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo, with due diligence in progress. KMI uses the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High Risk Areas as a framework.

Planet-Friendly Business

Kinder Morgan reported total gross global Scope 1 and market-based Scope 2 emissions of 18.6 million metric tons CO2e in 2024, but does not evaluate Scope 3 emissions.

The company has not declared a net-zero target year and has no mention of Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) alignment, instead committing to annually re-assessing the feasibility of setting longer-term GHG reduction targets. Kinder Morgan states alignment with TCFD Disclosure Recommendations, with its report structured around the four thematic areas, and conducts annual climate scenario analysis using IEA Announced Pledges (2°C), IEA Net Zero 2050 (1.5°C), and IPCC RCP 8.5 (4°C) scenarios. The company discusses potential write-offs and earlier retirement of existing assets due to technology and market risks, providing qualitative discussion of transitional risks. While committed to the fair treatment and involvement of people affected by projects, no specific climate justice programs are described.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

Kinder Morgan failed to obtain free, prior, and informed consent from affected Indigenous communities for the Trans Mountain pipeline, and lacks a social license to operate from the Secwepemc Nation

, with multiple Indigenous groups actively opposing the pipeline expansion. For unanticipated archaeological discoveries, KMI operating companies halt construction work and determine eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places within 14 days, with a possible 7-day extension. The company implements active measures to protect cultural sites, including consulting with State Historic Preservation Offices and inviting Indigenous groups to traverse project routes to identify items of special interest. In 2024, 100% of Kinder Morgan's U.S. and Mexico employees were local to their respective countries , and 99.3% of its total procurement spend was directed to local suppliers in the U.S.

Safe & Smart Tech

Kinder Morgan has not identified any cybersecurity threats that materially impaired its operations or financial standing.

In 2023, the company invested $21 million in cybersecurity enhancements, achieving a 96.3% threat mitigation rate. It has adopted a comprehensive approach to cybersecurity governance, engaging third-party experts to manage supply chain risks and conducting regular assessments. In March 2023, Kinder Morgan partnered with Xage Security to implement zero trust access and data security solutions for critical infrastructure, enhancing compliance with regulatory requirements and ensuring reliable audit trails. The company mandates cyber and physical security training for employees, conducts simulated exercise drills with U.S. government agencies and peer companies to improve preparedness, and collaborates with government agencies to share best practices. Kinder Morgan provides California residents with CCPA rights in its privacy policy, outlining data collection practices and ensuring transparency and data protection.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

Kinder Morgan has a history of serious hazardous waste management issues, including documented illegal mixing of RCRA hazardous waste with gasoline

and multiple serious violations between 2003-2004, leading to a $340,000 penalty. In 2018, the company failed to make an accurate hazardous waste determination for over 400,000 gallons of petroleum-contaminated soil and failed to pay associated hazardous waste generation fees. Despite these issues, the company states it ships hazardous waste to permitted facilities for recycling, energy recovery, treatment, or disposal, and uses software to track its management. In 2024, it recycled 35% of EPA-designated hazardous waste and 67% of state-designated hazardous waste. The company has implemented several waste reduction initiatives, such as reducing waste sources, substituting less hazardous products, reusing materials, and recycling IT equipment and furniture. It also operates business waste recycling programs at its Houston headquarters. Furthermore, Kinder Morgan and Neste inaugurated a renewable feedstock storage hub utilizing used cooking oil , and Kinder Morgan acquired landfill gas facilities to expand renewable natural gas operations, fostering the circular use of waste gases. Kinder Morgan set a methane emission intensity target of 0.31% for its natural gas transmission and storage assets by 2025, which it surpassed by 2020, achieving a rate of 0.04%.