The Texas General Land Office (GLO) presented its annual OSPRA Award to CITGO Refining and Chemicals, a CITGO Petroleum Corporation refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas, at the Clean Gulf Conference in San Antonio, Texas
The OSPRA Award was established by the GLO to recognize organizations that have excelled in their efforts to comply with the state’s Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act (OSPRA) of 1991. The agency’s primary functions include managing state lands and mineral rights, leasing drilling rights for oil and gas production and protecting the state’s natural resources.
Deputy Commissioner Greg Pollock presented the award to CITGO Vice President and General Manager Corpus Christi Refinery Eduardo Assef.
“CITGO was recognized for going the ‘extra’ mile to protect our natural resources by working with state and federal agencies in identifying and commissioning projects that will reduce the risk of pollution and protect wildlife in the area’s waterways,” Assef said.
Assef explained that in 2007 the CITGO refinery had the opportunity “to partner with different environmental agencies in multiple efforts,” which included the rescue of a stranded Manatee that was transported to Florida, rehabilitated and released and building and donating a state-of-the-art, $55,000 bird rehabilitation trailer to the GLO.
“We see more than 2,000 marine movements of ships and barges each year and transfer more than 6 billion gallons of hydrocarbons across our dock,” Assef noted. “These marine operations and waterways are critical to our refinery. This award serves as an affirmation of CITGO’s efforts to be a good environmental steward.”