A publication for neighbors, employees and retirees in the Baton Rouge area

Volume 5 • Issue 2

CPMO 430, PO Box 241, Baton Rouge, LA 70821 • 225-977-8393 • batonrougepublicaffairs@exxonmobil.com • www.exxonmobilbr.com • @ExxonMobilBRA

Anyone with questions, comments or concerns should call ExxonMobil at 225-977-8393. The ExxonMobil hotline is also regularly updated to reflect the current operational status. The hotline number is 225-977-0410.

GIVE US A RING

June 2017

Air quality is improving, says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which recently issued its annual Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) analysis showing that actions taken by the EPA, state

regulators and the industrial community have helped dramatically lower toxic air emissions over the past 10 years. From 2005 to 2015, releases of toxic chemicals have fallen

nationwide, helping protect millions of people.

Locally, the Ozone Task Force and Baton Rouge Clean Air Coalition have partnered with industry to help improve air quality. ExxonMobil employees

serve on both groups to provide expertise in this community-wide effort. Efforts extend to improving water quality as well.

Together the Baton Rouge Refinery and Chemical sites reduced air and water emissions by 27 percent between 2005 and 2015.

-ExxonMobil State Regulatory Advisor Robert Berg

This reduction was largely driven by a $10 million upgrade to the biological oxidation (BIOX) wastewater treatment system at the Refinery in 2014. “The

new BIOX system became fully operational in January 2015 and has successfully cut waste nitrate levels by 50 percent,” says ExxonMobil State Regulatory Advisor Robert Berg. The system has also helped reduce the Refinery’s overall reportable releases to the environment, including air emissions, water discharges and offsite waste transfers by 30 percent.

In 2016, ExxonMobil was recognized for this successful project with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) Environmental Leadership Award, the Louisiana Water Environment Association George W. Burke Jr. Facility Safety Award, and the Water Environment Federation Industrial Water Quality Achievement Award.

Hurricane season is underway, and experts are predicting an above-normal season with 14 named storms, 6 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes. ExxonMobil Baton Rouge’s preparations for the hurricane season began well in advance.

Prior to the season beginning, our Emergency Preparedness Team reviewed and updated the Hurricane Preparedness Manual. An annual preseason hurricane drill was held, which included participation from the management team.

“We went over our trigger points and the steps we need to execute depending on the position of the storm,” said Obie Cambre, Emergency Preparedness and Security Supervisor. “The Baton Rouge Complex is prepared.”

As we prepare at work, it is also important to have a family plan in place. There are several steps to take well before a named storm threatens the area. Information and tips can be found on the Department of Homeland Security’s webpage www.ready.gov. Baton Rouge residents can also access www.redstickready.com for more tips and to register for emergency alerts.

• Water (one gallon per person per day)• Non-perishable food (at least 3 day supply)• Battery powered radio and batteries• Flashlight and batteries• First aid kit• Cell phone with solar charger• Medication (at least 3 day supply)

IMPROVING AIR AND WATER QUALITY BENEFITS COMMUNITY

GET READY FOR THE STORM SEASON

Basic disaster supply kit

Leaving the Leaf on STEM

Last fall, ExxonMobil contributed $100,000 to the Foundation for the East Baton Rouge School System (FEBRSS) to establish the STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) Learning Network. As part of the contribution, the High School for Engineering Professions at Scotlandville High School received funding to implement a project-based learning garden appropriately named “Leaving the Leaf on STEM Garden.” The official ribbon cutting ceremony was held in early April, with students showcasing their garden, pathway, seating area and water attraction for birds and butterflies. Another highlight is a large mural painted by students with help from The Walls Project, which depicts the engineering concepts used in the project.

A: Although the sight of flares on top of pipe stacks and the rumbling noise that sometimes accompanies flaring may not be initially comforting, flaring is actually a vital part of keeping our facilities running safely during unplanned operational interruptions or scheduled maintenance activities. LDEQ strictly regulates emissions from the stacks and limits the density and duration of allowable smoke. In recent years, ExxonMobil Baton Rouge has taken steps to recover and reprocess excess materials to reduce flaring on a day-to-day basis.

What is that Flare?

– A publication for neighbors, employees and retirees in the Baton Rouge area Volume 5 • Issue 2

Knowing about air quality is important, and Baton Rouge residents and businesses have demonstrated a commitment to improving it. Everyone is encouraged to keep that momentum going this summer by participating in Ozone Action Days.

Established by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ), Ozone Action Days are a means of alerting industry and the public when air quality will be the lowest. Hazy, hot days with plenty of sun and low humidity are conducive to ozone formation. When these conditions are present, everyone is asked to be more vigilant in reducing emissions that cause ozone pollution.

ExxonMobil has a site response plan that includes suspension of refueling activities at fuel pumps and lawn maintenance activities. “We also encourage carpooling and on-site lunches,” says Brady Fontenot, Environmental Air Supervisor.

Action Day tips • Conserve electricity and set your AC at a higher temperature • Carpool or use public transportation • Use a bike or walk when possible • Refuel vehicles after dusk • Limit engine idling • Delay using workshop or garden chemicals until after dusk • Avoid using gas-powered lawn equipment • Avoid burning leaves, trash and other materials

Source: www.airnow.gov

ExxonMobil YMCA Community Outreach Retirees Alliance (EMYCORA) made contributions to the Foundation for EBR School System and Scotlandville Pre-Engineering Magnet Middle Academy to help sponsor students attending summer STEM camps. STEMup’s Kim Fossey and Mark Arseneault of the EBR School System receive the check from EMYCORA members at the ExxonMobil YMCA.

Over 40 girls attended the 2017 Girls, Gigabytes and Gadgets workshop in April. Participating on the STEM Leaders luncheon panel was moderator Dima Ghawi with STEMup’s Kim Fossey, Alsie Dunbar of Shell/Motiva and ExxonMobil employee Megan Manchester. Employee Bridgett Johnson also performed a science “magic show,” showing the girls that science can be fun.

Employee Michael Richard mentored Elvis Richard as part of the Fellows program of Baton Rouge Youth Coalition (BRYC). Michael attended Elvis’ graduation from Scotlandville High School last month. Two other employee mentors, Joanna So and Nam Pham, also attended the graduations of their Fellows.

Employees Jessica Vallet and Ernesto Johnson speak to students at Madison Prep’s Career Day. Students were able to visit booths from various industries and learn about the education and skills needed to work for those companies.

Members of the Community Dialogue Group (CDG) toured the Refinery in April. With several new members, the tour was the first for many in the group. They were able to see the equipment in the Refinery while learning about operational processes. The CDG is a group of neighborhood residents and community leaders that meet every other month to discuss topics of interest regarding our operations, as well as other issues of interest to neighbors.

OZONE ACTION DAY IS EVERYONE’S RESPONSIBILITY

Each year, ExxonMobil schedules turnarounds, or planned maintenance activities, on equipment normally in continuous operation. Turnarounds not only help improve reliability on operating units at ExxonMobil facilities, but they also help spur the Baton Rouge area economy.

The Refinery’s 2017 turnaround project, completed in March, spanned over 12 months and took over 2,000 workers logging 1.6 million work hours. At the peak, there were over 1,600 workers contributing to the effort. All of this work was completed without a single OSHA recordable injury.

According to Turnaround Manager Keith Hoffman, “The primary reason for the success of this event was teamwork. Each person was asked to ‘move the needle’ each day. The performance during this event attests to the fact that every individual associated with this work contributed every day to our overall success.”

1.6 million Hours of Safe Work

These actions, while voluntary, are consistent with what LDEQ has requested of the public.

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CPMO 430, PO Box 241, Baton Rouge, LA 70821 • 225-977-8393 • batonrougepublicaffairs@exxonmobil.com • www.exxonmobilbr.com • @ExxonMobilBRA

On Saturdays, you will find 100+ local middle to high school aged youth training in digital and visual arts at Southern University and Baton Rouge Community College. Their training is part of the ‘The Futures Fund,’ a workforce development program that provides skill training and helps position them for college, internships and jobs in the Baton Rouge area.

“We started with The Walls Project, a non-profit dedicated to revitalizing and transforming the landscape of our city and state. The arts beautify the community on the surface, but we needed more programming to support the community. That idea formed The Futures Fund,” says Executive Director Casey Phillips. “The Futures Fund will help build a sustainable economic base and help change the future of Baton Rouge.”

The program pilot began in 2015 with 36 students and has grown to serving 350 students in 2017. To date 27 students have graduated all 3 levels of the program, giving the pilot a 75% success rate. Twenty-four of those students are enrolled in college. The next program will be starting in fall 2017 with an anticipated 150 participants.

“Students are our next generation and there has to be programs in place to help them and our city thrive over and over again,” says Phillips.

To find out information about The Futures Fund or how you can help with The Walls Project, see their websites: http://www.thefuturesfund.org OR http://thewallsproject.org.

As part of the 2016 Education Matching Gift Program, ExxonMobil and its employees contributed more than $2.6 million to 21 Louisiana colleges and universities. The gifts represent the ExxonMobil Foundation 3:1 match of donations from employees, retirees and surviving spouses to the colleges or universities of their choice.

Locally, the ExxonMobil Foundation presented checks to the LSU Foundation and Southern University System Foundation. LSU Foundation received a check for $955,450 from ExxonMobil. LSU was the third-largest beneficiary of ExxonMobil Foundation’s Educational Matching Gift Program last year.

The ExxonMobil Foundation also presented $128,100 to the Southern University System Foundation. The funds will go to various programs within the Southern University, including the Foundation, College of Engineering, College of Business, and the Alumni Federation.

Since the establishment of the Matching Gift Program in 1962, the ExxonMobil Foundation has provided $632 million in matching grants to U.S. colleges and universities.

ExxonMobil gives more than $2.6 million to Louisiana colleges and universities

Each spring, Teach for America hosts a week for local “celebrities” to teach a class. As part of ExxonMobil’s ongoing collaboration with Teach for America, Manufacturing Manager Bruce Lilly taught a lesson at Kenilworth Middle School. Lilly taught a seventh grade math class, concentrating on unit price, total cost and area calculations. Pictured are Lilly and his class at Kenilworth.

North Baton Rouge Industrial Training Initiative (NBRITI) steering committee members and key stakeholders joined together for a breakfast hosted by Baton Rouge Community College (BRCC) Chancellor Dr. Larissa Littleton-Steib last month. Attendees were given updates on the progress of the third round of the program. The NBRITI is a fast-tracked program offered to qualified participants free of charge with funding provided by BRCC, ExxonMobil and other partners.

PREPARING THE FUTURE OF BATON ROUGE

Quinton Jason, an instructor with the program, helps student Jorren Bell with a lesson.

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ExxonMobil News is published quarterly by the Baton Rouge Area Public and Government Affairs Department.Writers: Rory Denicola, Diana Pietrogallo • Designer: Robert Sinclair

Photographers: Rory Denicola, Zoe Geauthreaux, Tyronne Stokes

ExxonMobil partners with Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center to fund the Early Bird, a mobile cancer screening unit that travels throughout the Baton Rouge area providing free cancer screenings and educational materials on cancer prevention. For more information call (225) 215-1234 or (888) 616-4687, or check out the site on www.marybird.org.

PROTECT YOUR HEALTH. GET SCREENED.

ExxonMobil makes notifications to the community of operational updates or incidents using an auto dialer system called FIRST CALL. Mail in the panel below to ExxonMobil Neighbor News,P.O. Box 241, Baton Rouge, LA 70821 to join the notification system or ask ExxonMobil a question.

Be in the know

FIRST CALL Registration form for ExxonMobil BR’s Courtesy Notification System

Name: _____________________________________________________________________________

Street Address: __________________________________________________________________

Zip Code: ______________ Email: ________________________________________________

Home Phone: __________________________ Mobile Phone: ___________________________

Find your address and win a prize!We place neighborhood addresses in every issue of ExxonMobil News, so be sure to read the stories and look for your address. If you find your address in this newsletter,

call 225-977-8393 to claim your prize. The mailing label does not count.

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A local newspaper advertisement from 1932 states that half of the Baton Rouge population was employed by the Standard Oil Refinery, dramatically demonstrating the company’s capability to provide economic stability despite the nation’s economic woes in the 1930s. During that decade, the Refinery was producing 90,000 barrels of product each day, while new pipe stills, four Foster Wheeler steam generators, gas absorption plants, and 1,000-pound cracking units were added to the site’s infrastructure. Employee initiatives and programs such as the first union organization,

the Esso Booster Club, the apprentice program, and a 40-hour work week were established.

In 1940, the Chemical Products Division began as part of the Refinery. In 1941, production of isopropyl alcohol was underway in Baton Rouge. Used for everything from first-aid to perfume, demand for isopropyl alcohol grew, and today the Baton Rouge Chemical Plant is one of the largest manufacturing operations in the world.

During World War II, the nation called and Esso responded. In the early 1940s, Esso Laboratory researchers pioneered the alkylation process for the production of high octane aviation fuel. In addition, the Baton Rouge researchers’ earlier role in helping to develop catalytic cracking technology became crucial during the war. In 1942, the Refinery

constructed the world’s first catalytic cracking unit, helping to manufacture 50,000 barrels of fuel a day, supplying almost half of the 100-octane aviation fuel used during the war. The company was also first in the industry to develop butyl rubber in the early 1940s, a key material used in tank treads, truck tires, and soldier gear.

On August 29, 1946, the Baton Rouge Refinery processed its billionth barrel of oil.

YESTERYEAR: FUELING THE NATION

Employees Jessica Miller and Tori Grant volunteered at the Earth Day celebration in April held at the Baton Rouge Zoo. More than 200 people stopped at the booth, enjoying science demonstrations and the leak detection & repair (LDAR) camera. Volunteers handed out packets of wildflower seeds provided by the ExxonMobil Wildlife Habitat Team.

Employee Chad Reimann receives a donation from employee Mark Mills at the Chemical Plant main gate. Employees and contractors donated $17,513 and over 5,500 pounds of food to the 3rd Annual “Donate at the Gate” campaign, making it a huge success! This collection will help the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank serve over 74,600 meals in the 11 parishes it serves.

In April, employee Del Dugas received the 2017 LSU Esprit de Femme Award. This award is given annually by the LSU Women’s Center during Women’s History Month. This award honors individuals who elevate the status of women in our community through their contributions to the arts, education, healthcare, business and industry, charity and civic engagement. Pictured are Emcee Dima Ghawi, Del and LSU’s Women Center Director Summer Steib.