OREANDA-NEWS. September 09, 2013. Apache Corporation (NYSE, Nasdaq: APA) will receive the Vanguard Award for Environmental Excellence as its compressed natural gas program continues to drive positive change in the communities where the company operates.

The award will be presented to Apache by Keep Oklahoma Beautiful after the company selected six non-profit organizations and two local municipalities to each receive a free vehicle conversion to compressed natural gas (CNG).

"The Vanguard Award is presented to a person, institution, community or business for embracing cutting-edge technologies and concepts in support of a sustainable planet," said Jeanette Nance, executive director of Keep Oklahoma Beautiful.

"It's important to recognize all that Apache does to preserve and eoinhance the state's natural beauty and ensure a healthy, sustainable environment," Nance said.

The award will be presented to Apache at the nonprofit organization's 2013 Environmental Excellence Awards Celebration in November in Oklahoma City.

The CNG donations, which include a gift card for a one-year supply of compressed natural gas for each of the newly converted vehicles, were made possible through Apache's Community & Neighborhood Giving program, a philanthropic arm of Apache's Central Region operations based in Tulsa.

Apache has 369 employees throughout Oklahoma.

"Apache employees have been giving back to their Oklahoma communities for more than 50 years," said Central Region Vice President Rob Johnston. "Not only does this donation help these community groups, it also promotes a sustainable future by providing them the opportunity to use vehicles that run on cheap, abundant and clean-burning natural gas."

The organizations that received the CNG conversions include the largest anti-poverty agency in Oklahoma, a nonprofit group that helps individuals with intellectual disabilities, and a home for troubled youths.

The organizations and municipalities are:
The Gatesway Foundation
Family & Children's Services
CAP Tulsa
The Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges
Tulsa Habitat for Humanity
Tulsa Boys' Home
City of Broken Arrow
City of Tulsa

Apache's first CNG station was built in Oklahoma in 2009. Since then, Apache has built 20 CNG stations, with six open to the public, in communities where it operates in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Louisiana. The company has converted more than 470 field vehicles to operate on CNG, with long-term plans to convert 80 percent of its U.S. fleet.

Apache's newest public-access CNG fueling station opened in March 2013 in Houston's Galleria shopping district adjacent to the company's corporate headquarters.

Natural gas is gaining widespread acceptance worldwide as a transportation fuel with more than 15.2 million natural gas-fueled vehicles. By 2019, the number of natural gas consumer vehicles is expected to rise to 25 million. In the United States, about 120,000 compressed natural gas vehicles are in use.

Keep Oklahoma Beautiful is a statewide, nonprofit organization with a mission to empower citizens to preserve and enhance the state's natural beauty and to ensure a healthy, sustainable environment. For more information, visit www.keepoklahomabeautiful.com.