It was 2010 and Jerry Wascom, ExxonMobil’s Americas refining director, was worried. Despite fuel and petrochemical manufacturers making significant improvements in the safety of their individual operations, across the industries there was an uptick in serious incidents. Workers were getting injured, surrounding communities were losing confidence, the reputation of the industries was being tarnished and regulators were becoming increasingly engaged. Wascom turned to his counterparts within the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers Association (AFPM), the industry trade group, and asked, “Are we doing enough to protect people?”
A nationwide 95 RON octane standard for vehicles can deliver major carbon reductions in the nation’s light-duty auto fleet faster and at a lower cost than any other proposal being considered by policymakers right now, especially policies seeking to force nationwide vehicle electrification.
Vehicle efficiency is not a partisan issue. Every driver wants cleaner, more efficient cars and trucks. They also want them to be affordable, safe and family friendly. Fuel-powered internal combustion engine vehicles offer a range of options that satisfy these criteria, and they’re getting better every year.
Before the pandemic hit, the nation’s manufacturing sector — including the refining and petrochemical industries — was wrestling with how to find and train enough young people to replace the wave of Baby Boomers retiring from the workforce at a rate of nearly 6,000 per day.
Dramatic predictions and commentaries about the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the future of the fuel and petrochemical industries have made headlines.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - This is a poorly devised bill that runs contrary to its purported purpose of improving the global environment. Banning the export of U.S. manufactured petrochemicals and polymers is shortsighted and will negatively impact global supply chains for essential materials and products.
America’s refining and petrochemical community employs and supports over three million people, hiring individuals from all education levels to fill a wide range of positions (such as welders, electricians, chemists, and engineers).
In 2019, Chevron Phillips Chemical (CPChem)’s Sustainability Technical Manager Ron Abbott was given a seemingly insurmountable challenge: by 2020, make CPChem the first company in the U.S. to announce commercial production of a circular polymer made by converting plastic waste into the chemical building blocks for new plastic. A cross-functional team was launched and started chipping away at the goal.
March is Women’s History Month, and the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) has two upcoming opportunities for the women in our industry to network and connect with their peers. Women...
