Exxon Mobil: Report on Petrochemical Risks

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BE IT RESOLVED:  Shareholders request that ExxonMobil, with board oversight, publish a report, omitting proprietary information and prepared at reasonable cost, assessing the public health risks of expanding petrochemical operations and investments in areas increasingly prone to climate change-induced storms, flooding, and sea level rise.

SUPPORTING STATEMENT:  Investors request the company assess, among other related issues at management and Board discretion: The adequacy of measures the company is employing to prevent public health impacts from associated chemical releases.

WHEREAS:  Investors are concerned about the financial, health, environmental, and reputational risks associated with operating and building-out new chemical plants and related infrastructure in Gulf Coast locations increasingly prone to catastrophic storms and flooding associated with climate change. Civil society groups have mobilized to oppose the expansion of petrochemical facilities in their communities due to concerns regarding direct health and livelihood impacts from air and water pollutant releases. Such opposition threatens to jeopardize ExxonMobil’s social license to operate in the region.

Petrochemical facilities like ethane crackers and polyethylene processing plants produce dangerous pollutants including benzene (a known carcinogen), Volatile Organic Compounds, and sulfur dioxide. These operations can become inundated and pose significant chemical release risks during extreme weather events. Flooding from Hurricane Harvey in 2017 resulted in ExxonMobil plant shut downs and the release of unpermitted, unsafe levels of pollutants. Nearby Houston residents reported respiratory and other health problems following ExxonMobil’s releases during Hurricane Harvey.

Growing storms and the costs they bring our company are predicted to increase in frequency and intensity as global warming escalates. Recent reports show that greenhouse gas emissions throughout the petrochemical and plastic supply chain contribute significantly to climate change, exacerbating the threat of physical risks like storms. Flood-related damage is projected to be highest in Texas, where many ExxonMobil petrochemical plants are concentrated. Houston alone has seen three 500-year floods in a three-year span. Hurricane Harvey contributed to decreased earnings of approximately $40 million for ExxonMobil in 2017 and decreasing social license from surrounding communities.

Historically, releases from ExxonMobil’s petrochemical operations have exceeded legal limits, exposing the company to liability and millions in payment for violations of environmental laws including the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. As climate change intensifies flooding and storm strength, the potential for unplanned chemical releases grows.

In spite of these risks, ExxonMobil continues to accelerate its petrochemical activity in the Gulf Coast, investing heavily to expand in flood-prone areas of Texas and Louisiana. The company has generally disclosed that risks from storms may impact its business and that climate risks like extreme storms are among the factors it considers in construction and operation of assets. The impacts to ExxonMobil’s operations from Hurricane Harvey, however, indicate the company’s level of preparedness is insufficient. As the Company rapidly expands its petrochemical assets in climate-impacted areas, investors seek improved disclosure to understand whether ExxonMobil is adequately evaluating and mitigating public health risks associated with climate-related impacts and the dangerous chemicals it uses.

Resolution Details

Company: Exxon Mobil Corporation

Lead Filers:
As You Sow

Year: 2020

Filing Date: 
December 2019

Initiative(s): Petrochemicals

Status: 24.5%

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