House Concurrent Resolution 121

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING THE CHEVRON PASCAGOULA REFINERY ON THE OCCASION OF ITS 50TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF OPERATION.

WHEREAS, 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of Chevron Pascagoula Refinery, originally established in 1963, and since beginning its operations, the company has continued to invest in its Pascagoula facility and in Jackson County; and

WHEREAS, on November 8, 1961, Standard Oil of Kentucky held groundbreaking ceremonies for the original $103 million Pascagoula Refinery facility, which began its operation on October 30, 1963, processing 100,000 barrels of crude oil per day, and which has evolved through the course of its operational history to currently processing 330,000 barrels of crude oil per day; and

WHEREAS, the refinery, as originally constructed, consisted of a Crude Unit, a Hydrocracking Unit, a Fluid Catalytic Conversion (FCC) Unit, a Reformer Unit, a Hydrogen Plant, an Alkylation Plant and several Utility plants, but the progression of years also brought about a progression in the infrastructure and processing facilities of the refinery; and

WHEREAS, in 1966, a $54 million project added a Paraxylene Unit to produce the chemical used in the textile and plastics industries, and an Ammonia Plant, which has since been shutdown and dismantled, and 1968 brought about the $91 million Pascagoula Expansion Project that doubled the refining capacity by adding additional Crude, Hydrocracking, Hydrogen and Reformer units, and constructing a Sulfur Recovery Plant; and

WHEREAS, the $96 million Pascagoula Arabian Modification Project, initiated in 1974, allowed processing of Arabian-type crude oils with higher sulfur content, by dismantling the existing Sulfur Plant, and adding a Reformer, a Naphtha Splitter, a Fluid Catalytic Conversion Feed Hydrotreater, a Flexible Hydrotreater and two Sulfur Recovery Plants; and

WHEREAS, 1980 marked the onset of one of Chevron Corporation's largest projects ever with the investment of $1.3 billion in the Pascagoula Residuum Conversion Project, an expansion that allowed the refinery to transform lower-grade crude oil into quality products upon its completion in 1983, adding a Coking plant that is called the Coker Unit, a Residuum Desulfurization (RDS) Unit, another Alkylation Plant, another Hydrogen Plant, a Coker Hydrodenitrification (HDN) Unit, three Sulfur/Tail Gas Unit Plants, and converted the FCC Feed Hydrotreater to a Diesel Hydrotreater; and

WHEREAS, the refinery began producing benzene, the primary building block for such products as automobile tires, sporting goods, nylon and pharmaceuticals after the 1992 construction of a $200 million Aromax Unit, and the 1996 construction of the $240 million PX Expansion/EB Project doubled the refinery's capacity to produce paraxylene (PX), and added facilities to produce ethylbenzene (EB), a chemical feedstock; and

WHEREAS, after completion of the Clean Fuels Project in 1993, a new low pressure vacuum column at the Crude I Unit and a modification to the Crude II Unit and the VDU (Vacuum Distillation Unit) provide heavier feed to the Coker Unit, replaced six petroleum coke drums with larger capacity drums and replaced the wet-gas compressor at the Coker Unit, reconfigured the Coker HDN (Hydrodenitrification Unit), that previously treated FCC feed, to a diesel treating plant and reconfigured the RDS Unit, which previously provided feed to the Coker Unit, to pre-treat feed going to the FCC Unit, and additional modifications were made to support facilities at the Blending and Shipping Areas and at the Water Treating Plant; and

WHEREAS, having weathered the tumultuous storm damage caused by Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, the refinery completed the $150 million FCC Project in late 2006, which increased the refinery's gasoline production by roughly ten percent to about 5.5 million gallons per day; and

WHEREAS, when allocating contribution funds, Chevron prioritizes programs closely connected to the refinery's business interests in Jackson County, particularly those which enhance public or early childhood education, support youth development, or address environmental and social concerns; and

WHEREAS, Chevron encourages employees to volunteer their time and talents in the community through the Chevron Humankind initiative, which matches employees' and retirees' financial contributions to nonprofit organizations and provides grants for volunteer time; and

WHEREAS, since Chevron Humankind's inception in 2008 until 2011, participant contributions and company matches distributed over $95 million to United States nonprofits with more than 21,000 participants supporting and helping to advance the missions of more than 12,000 nonprofits; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to acknowledge the superior distinction of such a reputable establishment as Chevron Pascagoula Refinery, which continues its legacy of excellence:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend and congratulate Chevron Pascagoula Refinery, Mississippi, on the occasion of its 50th year anniversary of operation, extend our most grateful appreciation for its continued presence as a major contributor to the state's economic and workforce development, and convey our sincere wishes for continued success in all of its future endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Chevron Pascagoula Refinery and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.