LONGVIEW, Texas, June 11, 2010 –The Texas Operations of Eastman Chemical Company (NYSE: EMN) has received the 2009 "Excellence in Caring for Texas" award from the Texas Chemical Council for its performance in communicating with its employees and the public, as well as its pollution prevention, security and emergency response programs.
“This recognition is a reflection of the company’s commitment to continual improvement in our Responsible Care Management System (RCMS) that drives good environmental, safety and security performance,” said Mark Bogle, vice president and general manager of the site. “We work hard to protect the people who live and work here and we want them to know we have programs in place to protect them in the event of an emergency.”
"Since 1990, our Community Advisory Board of 20 area citizens has enhanced communications between the company and community. In addition, our emergency response program includes a written plan and sharing of information with local emergency planning committees,” added Bogle. “We also encourage employees to take active leadership roles in community organizations and we follow that up with financial support to a variety of area causes."
Other accomplishments that helped Texas Operations win this "Excellence in Caring for Texas" award include:
- Hosting of annual events at our Nature and Wildlife Habitat Center such as the award winning Project Learning Tree® “Walk in the Forest” teacher training workshop, and Longview High School’s “Forest Awareness Tour”;
- Voluntary participation in on-going Academy of Natural Sciences River Quality studies for the Sabine River since 1982;
- Providing sponsorship of and volunteers for the Texas State Envirothon® environmental education competition since 2001;
- Hosting and leading training during the annual Northeast Texas Fire Training School held at our on-site fire training grounds;
- Installation of flue gas recirculation fans at our utility boilers which helps reduce NOx emissions by 50% at reduced boiler rates.
"I'm proud of the work and care our employees are taking when it comes to community awareness, pollution prevention and emergency response," Bogle said. "I'm also very glad to see that their efforts are being recognized by others."
