Statement

Chemical Facilities Weather Gustav Without Incident

ACC Members Working with Government Officials to Resume Operations 

ARLINGTON, VA (September 2, 2008) – Following Monday’s landfall of Hurricane Gustav through an area of major chemical production in the Gulf region of the United States, American Chemistry Council (ACC) Managing Director, Mike Walls issued the following statement:
 
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Louisiana and Mississippi as well as the emergency response teams that are working hard to recover from Hurricane Gustav,” said ACC Managing Director Mike Walls. “Due in large part to the advanced preparation and well-rehearsed emergency plans of our members, all of their chemical facilities weathered the storm without incident, injuries or releases. We also applaud the improved coordination and response of our Federal, State and Local partners in both preparation and response to the storm.”

“ACC member companies place great importance on implementing emergency plans focused on protecting the safety of employees, the environment and surrounding communities,” said Walls.  “Under Responsible Care®, our trademark health, safety, environment and security program, all ACC members have long-established emergency plans, which are activated in close coordination with local, state and national authorities as well as other businesses and transportation systems, in advance of an approaching storm like Gustav.”

“Currently, the major challenge facing our members is to restore power and telecommunications in order to re-establish normal operations.  Facility operators are working closely with government officials to expedite the safe movement of employees and materials in and out of areas impacted by the storm.”

“While recovering from Gustav will remain a priority, our industry is already preparing for several new storms forming in the Atlantic that are expected to make landfall in the coming days.”

ACC represents the leading companies engaged in the business of chemistry and 90 percent of the productive capacity for basic industrial chemicals in the United States.  The business of chemistry is a $664 billion a year high-tech industry and one of the largest and most globally competitive exporting sectors in the U.S., with exports totaling $109 billion in 2004.  U.S. chemicals exports support 227,000 of the nearly one million American jobs provided by the chemical industry.

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