Koch Announces Latest Clean-Fuel Offering; Company Begins Multi-Million-Dollar Voluntary Project to Produce Low-Sulfur Fuels At Texas Refinery.Business Editors/Energy & Environmental Writers WICHITA, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 10, 2000 Koch Petroleum Group, L.P. today announced a voluntary commitment to help reduce ozone levels by introducing a low-sulfur gasoline for the 2001 summer season to the markets served by its Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi is a coastal city and the county seat of Nueces CountyGR6 in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the region known as South Texas. , refinery. Providing the cleaner fuels -- with sulfur levels 50 percent lower than today's industry average -- for next year will take a $28 million investment by Koch. The Koch refinery will supply this gasoline to Austin, Corpus Christi Corpus Christi, in Christianity Corpus Christi [Lat.,=body of Christ], feast of the Western Church, observed on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday (or on the following Sunday). , Waco and San Antonio San Antonio (săn ăntō`nēō, əntōn`), city (1990 pop. 935,933), seat of Bexar co., S central Tex., at the source of the San Antonio River; inc. 1837. . Then, Koch will make additional investments in excess of $130 million to achieve a 90 percent cut in sulfur levels in its gasoline by 2005, to meet anticipated federal requirements. Robert Huston, chairman of the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC TNRCC Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission ), joined Austin Mayor Kirk Watson Kirk Watson (born March 18, 1958) is a Texas attorney and Democratic politician from Austin. He served as Austin mayor from 1997 to 2001. He ran unsuccessfully for Texas Attorney General in the 2002 election, defeated by the Republican Greg Abbott. and other Texas public officials and environmental groups in Austin today to announce Koch's latest clean-air initiative. "This kind of partnership with the state regulatory agencies state regulatory agency A state body responsible for establishing professional standards, and for certifying professionals or organizations through appropriate documentation , city government and industry is a model to demonstrate that voluntary measures can play an important role in achieving clean air throughout Texas," said Huston. Austin is on the verge On the Verge (or The Geography of Yearning) is a play written by Eric Overmyer. It makes extensive use of esoteric language and pop culture references from the late nineteenth century to 1955. of losing its attainment status, based on the eight-hour ozone standard. Lowering sulfur in gasoline results in fewer nitrogen oxide Noun 1. nitrogen oxide - any of several oxides of nitrogen formed by the action of nitric acid on oxidizable materials; present in car exhausts pollutant - waste matter that contaminates the water or air or soil (NOx) emissions. When introduced in May, Koch's new gasoline -- with sulfur levels 50 percent lower than today's industry average -- will have the effect of taking about 60,000 cars off Austin's streets by eliminating about four tons per day of NOx, from the city's air, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Wade Thomason, executive director of the Central Texas Clean Air Force. "The Austin region is working to maintain healthy air by complying with federal air-quality standards," said Watson, "and the costs of failure are staggering. Koch has shown itself willing to join in our efforts to find solutions to our environmental challenges. Over the past two years, they have brought us low reid vapor pressure vapor pressure, pressure exerted by a vapor that is in equilibrium with its liquid. A liquid standing in a sealed beaker is actually a dynamic system: some molecules of the liquid are evaporating to form vapor and some molecules of vapor are condensing to form liquid. (RVP (RendezVous Protocol) A protocol used to broadcast messages within a peer group. Part of the JXTA open source peer-to-peer computing initiative, RVP clients send requests to rendezvous peers, which grants them a connection lease. ) gas and a cleaner-burning diesel fuel, each of which contribute to cleaner air. This is another good step, and I look forward to Koch continuing to display the kind of leadership and innovation which we'll need to continue to see from our industry partners to successfully manage our air-quality issues and maintain an environment for economic growth." "We understand that clean air, clean air attainment and economic vitality are of vital importance to the Midwestern states we serve," said Jim Mahoney For the Australian rules football umpire, see . James Thomas Mahoney (born on May 26, 1934 in Englewood, New Jersey) is a former Major League Baseball shortstop. He was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies before the 1953 season and played for the Boston Red Sox (1959), the , head of operations for all Koch refining facilities. "That's why Koch Petroleum Group is cooperatively working with communities to provide premium quality fuels that improve the environment and enhance performance." This low-sulfur gasoline is the latest in a line of cleaner fuels that Koch is bringing to the communities it serves. These initiatives have helped set industry standards for environmentally friendly fuels, including: - Koch's Blue Planet(TM) -- earth friendly gasoline(TM), an extra-low-sulfur gasoline created to reduce automobile emissions, is produced at its Minnesota refinery for the Twin Cities market. Blue Planet(TM) produces 10 percent to 20 percent fewer emissions, without sacrificing performance or power. It is the lowest-sulfur gasoline in all octane grades anywhere in the country, outside of California. - Koch's Performance Gold Diesel(TM) helps protect the environment by reducing ozone-causing emissions while also removing engine deposits and increasing power. Performance Gold Diesel(TM) provides diesel drivers both a cleaner-burning fuel choice and improved engine performance in Minnesota, Texas and other Midwestern states. - Koch's U.S. Soy Field Diesels(TM) are premium diesel fuels partially made with U.S.-grown soybean oil. This fuel reduces regulated emissions by an average of 20 percent and delivers 5 percent better fuel economy and 5 percent more power, according to independent lab and field tests. U.S. Soy Field Diesels(TM), introduced in May 1999, were the nation's first commercially available soybean oil fuel. - For the 1999 and 2000 summer ozone seasons, Koch has provided clean-burning low reid vapor pressure (RVP) fuels to the Texas markets it serves. Low-RVP fuel evaporates less easily than conventional gasoline, resulting in less tailpipe tail·pipe n. The pipe through which exhaust gases from an engine are discharged. Also called exhaust pipe. tailpipe Noun a pipe from which exhaust gases are discharged, esp. emissions from automobiles and, therefore, the release of less volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the environment. In the presence of sunlight, VOCs and Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) react to form ozone. This new low-sulfur initiative in Texas involves two phases. Phase I will consist of a $28 million investment in the company's Corpus Christi refinery to produce a lower-sulfur gasoline (50 percent less than today's industry average) by May 1, 2001. Phase II will focus on achieving the Clean Fuels regulatory requirements of 30 parts per million parts per million mg/kg or ml/l; see ppm. (90 percent less than today's average) by 2005. Koch will make an additional investment ranging from $130-190 million to complete Phase II. Modeling suggests that this process will reduce the sulfur in the gasoline pool to a range of 150-160 ppm without any change in fuel quality. Sulfur content in gasoline varies greatly, depending upon such factors as seasonal differences, fuel grade and crude type. According to the Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), independent agency of the U.S. government, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1970 to reduce and control air and water pollution, noise pollution, and radiation and to ensure the safe handling and (regulatory impact analysis In many countries, a Regulatory Impact Analysis or Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) is a document created before voting a new regulation. Its role is to perform a detailed evaluation of the potential impacts of this new regulation and establish whether it would have the ), current industry average sulfur content is 307 ppm. Koch Petroleum Group, L.P. is a leading producer of fuels and other petrochemical and commodity products for markets worldwide. Koch Petroleum has approximately 850 employees at its 300,000-barrel-per-day refining complex in South Texas; 750 employees at its 280,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Minnesota; and 750 other employees at offices and facilities elsewhere around the globe, including the company's Wichita, Kansas, headquarters. Koch Petroleum Group is an affiliate of Koch Industries, Inc. Koch Industries, Inc., through its subsidiaries, employs 11,500 people worldwide and is involved in virtually all phases of the oil and gas industry, as well as in chemicals, plastics, energy services, chemical and environmental technology products, asphalt products, metals and mineral services, ranching, financial services, and ventures. For more information on Koch, refer to www.kochind.com or www.kochenvironment.com on the Internet. NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information about this announcement, refer to www.kochind.com on the Internet and click on the Koch News Resource link. Or, to find downloadable photos and logos pertinent to this release, refer to www.kochind.com/media on the Internet. Correspondents may also call 316/828-3756 or 316/828-4159 to receive a toll-free number to participate in a live teleconference (briefing, question and answer session) to be held at 2 p.m. CST CST abbr. 1. Central Standard Time 2. convulsive shock treatment CST Central Standard Time Noun 1. today. |
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