SLS 15RS-688 ORIGINAL
2015 Regular Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 28
BY SENATORS CROWE AND MORRELL
COMMENDATIONS. Commends the ExxonMobil Chalmette Refinery for one hundred
years of operation and commitment in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, and recognizes April
20, 2015, as ExxonMobil Day at the Louisiana State Senate.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To commend the ExxonMobil Chalmette Refinery for one hundred years of operation in St.
3 Bernard Parish, Louisiana, and the commitment to Louisiana demonstrated by such
4 a long-standing presence in the state and to recognize Monday, April 20, 2015, as
5 "ExxonMobil Day" at the Louisiana State Senate.
6 WHEREAS, the Chalmette Refinery was constructed in 1915 and is located on four
7 hundred acres of the former De La Ronde Plantation near Chalmette Historical Park, the site
8 of the last major battle of the War of 1812, the Battle of New Orleans, a significant victory
9 for the young United States of America; and
10 WHEREAS, the current refinery is a mid-sized facility that receives crude primarily
11 from wells off Louisiana's Gulf of Mexico coast and from Venezuela because the facility is
12 uniquely equipped to refine the heavy crude oil produced in Venezuela; and
13 WHEREAS, the Chalmette Refinery, a joint venture of affiliates Petróleos de
14 Venezuela, S.A. and ExxonMobil, employs approximately one thousand employees and
15 contractors; and
16 WHEREAS, the refinery employs a dedicated and highly-skilled workforce
17 responsible for operating the facility, twenty-four hours each day of the year, who also are
18 involved members of the community of St. Bernard Parish and surrounding areas; and
Page 1 of 4 SR NO. 28
SLS 15RS-688 ORIGINAL
1 WHEREAS, in the post-Hurricane Katrina world of St. Bernard Parish, the
2 Chalmette Refinery has been a focus for community survival and rebuilding, at one point
3 serving as the command post for hurricane response and rescue due to its advantageous
4 location on high ground in the parish; and
5 WHEREAS, once attentions turned to rebuilding the parish, ExxonMobil and the
6 ExxonMobil Foundation donated twenty-three million dollars for hurricane recovery for the
7 entire New Orleans area, with more than four million for St. Bernard Parish schools alone,
8 and two million dollars for a new cultural arts center for the school district; and
9 WHEREAS, as the largest employer and taxpayer in St. Bernard Parish, ExxonMobil
10 understands its role as the leader of efforts by employers in the parish to both enrich and
11 better the lives of those working in and living near the Chalmette Refinery; and
12 WHEREAS, the ExxonMobil employees at the refinery contribute to the community
13 through volunteer participation in a wide range of charitable organizations, including the
14 Greater New Orleans United Way, the Nunez Community College Process Technology
15 Program, the St. Bernard Chapter of the American Red Cross Super CPR Saturday, and the
16 Special Olympics; and
17 WHEREAS, the Chalmette Refinery helps fund the Green Team Summer Youth
18 Employment Program and the New Orleans Ballet after-school dance program in Chalmette
19 and Algiers, Louisiana, helping to enrich the cultural life of St. Bernard Parish; and
20 WHEREAS, the refinery also involves itself in environmental projects that better the
21 lives of the residents of St. Bernard, especially through the provision of funds and resources
22 for the care of the Pakenham live oak trees, which have been a project of the refinery for
23 more than twenty-five years; and
24 WHEREAS, ExxonMobil and the Chalmette refinery also focus on improving
25 science and math education, encouraging employees to devote time to such activities as the
26 Science Ambassador Program, tours of the refinery, Engineering Week activities, and
27 science fair judging; and
28 WHEREAS, the original Chalmette refinery was built at a time when the primary
29 product was kerosene, used for lighting in homes and businesses, but with the discovery of
30 oil and the growing popularity of automobiles, gasoline soon became the primary product
Page 2 of 4 SR NO. 28
SLS 15RS-688 ORIGINAL
1 of the refinery; and
2 WHEREAS, with the advent of gasoline engines in both automobiles and boats, the
3 refinery found a customer base in fueling boats used to deliver produce and fruits along the
4 Mississippi River, particularly those boats owned by the Vaccaro brothers, Joseph, Felis, and
5 Luca, who purchased the refinery and changed its name to the Chalmette Oil and Refining
6 Company; and
7 WHEREAS, the Vaccaro brothers owned the refinery until 1944 when it was sold
8 to Bay Petroleum, which, in 1953, sold the facility to Tennessee Gas Company and later
9 became Tenneco Oil Company; and
10 WHEREAS, in 1988, Tenneco Oil sold the refinery to the Mobil Corporation, a
11 corporation that merged with Exxon in 1998, thus bringing the refinery to the newly
12 combined corporation, ExxonMobil; and
13 WHEREAS, the designation of ExxonMobil Day at the Louisiana State Senate
14 recognizes the contributions of ExxonMobil and its thousands of employees and retirees to
15 the vibrant life in Louisiana and seeks to spotlight the volunteer activities and the
16 commitment to bettering life for all Louisiana citizens through nonprofit organizations that
17 range from local food banks to the cultural activities and festivals that seek to celebrate life
18 in the unique state of Louisiana.
19 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
20 does hereby commend the ExxonMobil Chalmette Refinery for one hundred years of
21 operation in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, and the commitment to Louisiana demonstrated
22 by such a long-standing presence in the state.
23 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana does
24 hereby recognize Monday, April 20, 2015, as "ExxonMobil Day" at the Louisiana State
25 Senate.
26 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
27 ExxonMobil Chalmette Refinery.
Page 3 of 4 SR NO. 28
SLS 15RS-688 ORIGINAL
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Mary Dozier O'Brien.
DIGEST
SR 28 Original 2015 Regular Session Crowe
Commends the ExxonMobil Chalmette Refinery for 100 years of operation in St. Bernard
Parish, Louisiana, and the commitment to Louisiana demonstrated by such a long-standing
presence in the state and recognizes Monday, April 20, 2015, as ExxonMobil Day at the
Louisiana State Senate.
Page 4 of 4