Billings Refinery - ConocPhillips
ConocPhillips was originally founded in 1875 in Ogden, Utah. The company partnered with Continental Oil Company in 1929, and over time it became one of the biggest oil refining businesses in America. It is, perhaps, best known for its brand on Union 76 gas stations which can be found all across the nation.
The Billings facility has the ability to produce 62,000 barrels of oil on a daily basis. While it is a major producer of crude oil, the refinery has also become well known for being an environmentally friendly plant. They have implemented several important procedures and spent a large amount of money to reduce emissions and produce as little pollution as possible, and their efforts have paid off. In 2005 the plant was given the honor of winning the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Air Excellence Award for Education/Outreach. This is a prestigious award which denotes that ConocPhillips is considered to be a "Green" company. That was not the only accolade the Billings plant has been given by the EPA. In both 2006 and 2007 they site earned the ENERGY STAR, which indicates that the company is conservative and efficient with their energy use.
2007 also saw ConocPhillips join an environmental group that is made of of major corporations, known as the U.S. Climate Action Partnership. The goal of the group is to reduce the amount of pollution caused by manufacturing facilities by encouraging the government to enforce laws that will limit the legal amount of emissions any company may produce. They strive to clean up the atmosphere and to find new sources of energy for the future.
The refinery in Billings is now known as one of the cleanest and most environmentally secure refineries around, but it has had serious environmental troubles in the past. Like many other plants, the Billings facility used products that were made out of asbestos at one time. These products were found throughout the refinery, and were popular because of asbestos' natural ability to withstand high temperatures. Unfortunately, however, asbestos is also a very toxic material that can cause cancer and severe respiratory issues.
Although the plant is currently clean and safe, anyone who worked at the Billings Refinery when it utilized products made with asbestos was put at risk of exposure. The effects of exposure may take many yeas to become noticeable, so if you or anyone you know used to work at this facility see your doctor for a check up as soon as possible.
Last modified: December 09, 2009.
