Environmental Awards
Valero knows that being a good operator also means being a good and responsible neighbor. The company demonstrates that through a variety of philanthropic and volunteer efforts, along with support of education, the military and employee health programs.
- A Texas Environmental Excellence Award went to the Valero McKee Refinery in 2013 for the company's wind farm, which operates as Sunray Wind, presented by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The 33-turbine, 50-megawatt wind farm is capable of powering the McKee Refinery, with any excess power going to a local utility. The wind farm won in the Technical/Technology category for reducing reliance on conventional power sources.
- Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and the Louisiana Chapter of the Air and Waste Management Association awarded the Valero St. Charles Refinery for its catalytic cracker conversion project that reduced overall facility air emissions and eliminated thousands of tons of waste catalyst generated annually.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recognized the Valero St. Charles and Port Arthur refineries under its National Partnership for Environmental Priorities (NPEP) program, in which the refineries voluntarily committed to recycle oily material in their petroleum coker operations.
- Quebec's recycling program, Recyc-Quebec, recognized the Jean Gaulin Refinery for reaching its highest "Performance" level in reusing, recycling, upgrading or reducing in quantity more than 80 percent of its plant trash and debris.
- Eleven U.S. Valero facilities in 2013 received at least one award, and a total of 17 awards overall, from American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers for safety performance the previous year. The awards went to refineries at Ardmore, Benicia, Bill Greehey (two plants, Corpus Christi East and West), Houston, Meraux, St. Charles, Texas City, Three Rivers and Wilmington, and to the Wilmington Asphalt Refinery.
- Valero's Houston Refinery won the Distinguished Safety Award for 2011 from American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers. It is AFPM's most prestigious recognition.
- Eight U.S. Valero refineries are "Star Sites," prestigious safety recognitions under Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and state agencies. Valero represents about one-fourth of VPP Star Sites in the U.S. Since 2007, Valero has reduced refinery employee injury rates by 42 percent.
- Valero's Corpus Christi and Houston Asphalt Terminals also hold VPP Star designation.
- Twenty-five of Valero's refinery contractors were Star Site-approved at the end of 2012.
- While Valero's Jean Gaulin Refinery in Quebec is not subject to OSHA regulation, it was reapproved for an internal "VPP Star" after passing a first-of-its-kind, VPP-style audit by an independent team of professionals trained by OSHA.
- In rail safety, six major rail companies -- CSX Transportation, Union Pacific, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Norfolk Southern, Canadian National and Canadian Pacific -- have recognized Valero with prestigious safety awards for five consecutive years. For the sweep of awards from major rail companies, Valero also received the Grand Slam Safety Award from the Association of American Railroads.
- Four Valero Renewables plants earned safety awards in 2013. Fort Dodge and Hartley received Gold Incident Rate Excellence awards from the Iowa-Illinois Safety Council. Albion received an Occupational Excellence Achievement Award from the National Safety Council and an Award of Merit from the safety council's Nebraska Chapter. Welcome earned a Governor's Safety Award for Meritorious Achievement.
- The Valero Texas City Refinery won the Valero Chairman's Safety Award for 2012. Refinery employees and contractors reached 1 million hours without an OSHA-recordable injury, and 2 million hours without an OSHA lost-time injury.
- Fortune magazine's World's Most Admired Companies list includes Valero, the only independent refining company and one of only three U.S.-based refiners named to the 2012 list.
- Forbes' America's Most Trustworthy Companies list for 2012 includes Valero, citing the company's minimal likelihood of financial distress, low-risk accounting and governance practices, and no SEC enforcement actions or material restatements.
- Institutional Investor magazine named Valero to its list of America's Most Honored Companies, recognizing its strong relationship with the investment community.
- For nine consecutive years, Valero ranked among the nation's best employers on Fortune magazine’s listing of the 100 Best Companies to Work For.
- Valero ranked No. 1 on Fortune magazine's listing of the nation's Best Big Companies to Work For two consecutive years.
Valero knows that being a good operator also means being a good and responsible neighbor. The company demonstrates that through a variety of philanthropic and volunteer efforts, along with support of education, the military and employee health programs.
- Valero is a two-time national Spirit Award recipient from the United Way. Valero and its employees pledged $11.5 million to the United Way for donations in 2013.
- The Valero Texas City Refinery earned a Spirit of the Mainland award for being the United Way Galveston County Mainland's top industrial supporter, with the highest per-capita employee giving. Maintenance Superintendent Glenn LaBorde, the refinery's United Way campaign co-chair, also was awarded the local United Way's Volunteer of the Year.
- The United Way of Greater Lafayette and Tippecanoe County (Indiana) awarded Valero Renewables-Linden "Best Overall Campaign" for businesses with up to 100 employees, recognizing the plant's 2012 United Way campaign results.
- The Marine Corps League presented Valero a certificate of appreciation for its support of Marines Helping Marines of the Wounded Marine Program at San Antonio Military Medical Center.
- The American Heart Association recognized Valero's wellness program as a Gold Level recipient of the national organization's Fit Friendly Companies awards.
- The San Antonio Business Group on Health, in collaboration with the Mayor's Fitness Council, once again honored Valero's wellness program as part of its 2013 Healthy Workplace Recognition Program.