HLS 19RS-996 ORIGINAL
2019 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 32
BY REPRESENTATIVES JORDAN AND SMITH
COMMENDATIONS: Designates Monday, April 15, 2019 as ExxonMobil Day at the
capitol
1 A RESOLUTION
2To designate Monday, April 15, 2019, as ExxonMobil Day at the legislature, to commend
3 ExxonMobil for their long-term contributions to the economy of the state of
4 Louisiana and to the prosperity of her citizens, and to commend and congratulate the
5 employees and retirees of ExxonMobil for their continuous pursuit of excellence.
6 WHEREAS, it is with great pride and gratitude that the Louisiana House of
7Representatives commends ExxonMobil for the contributions its operations have made for
8the past one hundred ten years to the economy of the state of Louisiana and to the prosperity
9of its citizens; and
10 WHEREAS, the Standard Oil Company of Louisiana, which began in April 1909 on
11two hundred twenty-five acres of Baton Rouge farmland with some seven hundred workers,
12has grown into an ExxonMobil family of companies in Louisiana that, besides the Baton
13Rouge Refinery, now also includes world-class facilities such as: the Baton Rouge Chemical
14Plant, the Baton Rouge Polyolefins Plant, the Baton Rouge Plastics Plant, the Port Allen
15Lubricants Plant, the Port Allen Aviation Plant, the ExxonMobil Production Company, the
16ExxonMobil Pipeline Company, and XTO Energy; and
17 WHEREAS, as one of the top employers in the state of Louisiana, employing more
18than six thousand employees and contractors in the Baton Rouge area, ExxonMobil has
19workers in nearly every corner of Louisiana, from the Haynesville Shale to the Baton Rouge
20chemical plants to the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico; and
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HR NO. 32
1 WHEREAS, the ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Refinery is the largest manufacturing
2employer in Louisiana and the fourth largest refinery in the United States, and the Baton
3Rouge Chemical Plant is the second largest manufacturing employer in the state with
4ExxonMobil's Louisiana operations; and
5 WHEREAS, ExxonMobil's engineers, scientists, skilled workers, and support staff
6in Louisiana have played crucial roles in shaping the energy and petrochemical industry
7during the past century with revolutionary research innovations and technological
8breakthroughs, such as the world's first catalytic cracking technology and the development
9of alkylation processes for the production of high octane aviation fuel during World War II
10as well as the development of butyl rubber, which led to Baton Rouge's nickname as the
11"Cradle of Synthetic Rubber"; and
12 WHEREAS, ExxonMobil's Louisiana operations pay over one hundred million
13dollars in state and local taxes each year, including over thirty-three million dollars in
14property taxes in East Baton Rouge Parish alone, and has paid more than one billion dollars
15in state and local taxes over the past ten years; and
16 WHEREAS, ExxonMobil and its thousands of employees and retirees take an active
17role in the betterment of the surrounding communities throughout the state of Louisiana by
18providing more than thirty thousand volunteer hours annually to numerous nonprofit
19organizations as well as providing financial assistance through charitable contributions and
20matching grants of over four million dollars each year to hundreds of civic, community, and
21educational organizations; and
22 WHEREAS, ExxonMobil's recognition that the challenges of the 21st century, for
23both the energy industry and our country, will rely on our children having a strong
24foundation of math and science education in our schools that is reflected in the commitment
25of a thirteen million dollar funding grant to the National Math and Science Initiative for
26Louisiana schools and its educational programs such as the Advanced Placement Training
27as well as support of numerous other educational programs through the Foundation for East
28Baton Rouge School System; and
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HR NO. 32
1 WHEREAS, ExxonMobil's facilities in Louisiana are dedicated to operating in an
2environmentally responsible manner and have been recognized for their efforts as a recipient
3of numerous awards for their environmental leadership; and
4 WHEREAS, ExxonMobil is committed to continuous improvement in the safety of
5its employees, contractors, and the community and its Louisiana facilities have been
6recognized by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for their voluntary
7protection programs and safety performance; and
8 WHEREAS, ExxonMobil is committed to the workforce of the oil and gas industry
9with the start of the North Baton Rouge Industrial Training Initiative to help address the craft
10skills demands with a free training program on electrical, welding, pipefitting, and
11millwright in partnership with Baton Rouge Community College; and
12 WHEREAS, ExxonMobil's facilities are expanding to construct a new polypropylene
13production unit in Baton Rouge that will expand production capacity by up to four hundred
14fifty thousand tons per year, create six hundred jobs during construction, and sixty-five
15permanent jobs once completed; and
16 WHEREAS, ExxonMobil's facilities in Louisiana represent substantial long-term
17investments and their operations retain existing jobs and attract new jobs, provide tax
18revenue, spur economic growth, and help meet the world's growing energy needs; and
19 WHEREAS, the success of the state of Louisiana, the strength of our communities,
20and the overall vitality of American society depend, in great measure, upon businesses like
21ExxonMobil, which is taking on the world's toughest energy challenges.
22 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
23Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend ExxonMobil on more than a century of
24partnership and progress with Louisiana and does hereby recognize Monday, April 15, 2019,
25as ExxonMobil Day at the legislature.
26 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the Legislature
27of Louisiana does hereby commend and congratulate the employees and retirees of
28ExxonMobil for their continuous pursuit of excellence in safety, corporate responsibility,
29environmental preservation, and contributions to local education and volunteer leadership.
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HR NO. 32
1 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
2to ExxonMobil's Louisiana Operations.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HR 32 Original 2019 Regular Session Jordan
Designates Monday, April 15, 2019, as ExxonMobil Day at the legislature, commends
ExxonMobil for their long-term contributions to the economy of the state of La. and the
prosperity of her citizens, and commends and congratulates the employees and retirees of
ExxonMobil for their continuous pursuit of excellence.
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