L’Observateur / March 25, 1998

LAPLACE – Five River Parishes industries received Governor’s Environmental Leadership Achievement Awards for pollution prevention in ceremonies March 18 at the State Capitol.

Gov. Foster presented 27 awards at the ceremony. The River Parishesindustries receiving awards included: * DuPont Dow Elastomers, LaPlace, for incorporating a pentane reuse system into the production of chloroprene that led to the elimination of a 476,000 pounds-per-year combustible ignitable waste system. This is thesecond consecutive year DuPont Dow has earned this award, according to R. Martin Guidry of the Pontchartrain Works facility.* Shell Refining Co., Norco, for establishing innovative arrangements withother Louisiana companies to allow for the continued operation of an on- site oil recovery facility that recovers 1,000 tons of oil per year while reducing hazardous waste generation within the state by 3,100 tons per year.

* Witco Corp., Hahnville, for a program of source reduction, recycling andtreatment projects that resulted in the reduction of wastewater discharges from the facility by more than 150 million pounds between 1996 and 1997.

* Occidental Chemical Corp., Convent, for establishing a program to utilizeas a soil amendment for Louisiana farmers some 10 million pounds per year of a brine sludge formerly sent to landfills as a non-hazardous waste stream.

* Monsanto Co., Luling, for the construction of an acidification and recyclestep in the ACL manufacturing process that resulted in the recycling rather than the disposal of 1.5 million pounds of solid waste.Outstanding community involvement and outreach awards are also being presented to the following River Parishes industries: * Marathon Ashland Petroleum, Garyville, for many contributions to enhancing the quality of life for its neighbors and the community at large.

* Monsanto Co., Luling, for support at the Landry Middle School of theHOSTS (Help One Student to Succeed) program, a mentoring program to provide students with the opportunity to develop an appreciation of the value of education.

Foster said in a press statement: “I am very pleased to see these Louisiana companies volunteering to do more to improve our environmental quality than just meeting environmental regulations. I like volunteerprograms that give industry and the state an opportunity to work together to make Louisiana even better.”The facilities receiving the awards are members of the Louisiana Environmental Leadership Pollution Prevention Program, sponsored by the Department of Environmental Quality, the U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency and several professional and industrial associations.

The program has been active since August 1995 and currently has 67 member industries.

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