We believe that being a good neighbor means listening to and communicating with the people who live near our facilities. We participate in community advisory panels (CAP) in most plant communities to promote regular, direct dialogue with people who live and work near our plants.
Panels may include:
The open and candid discussion that CAPs provide has several benefits, including:
Each of LyondellBasell's major facilities participates in a CAP, either individually or with their industrial neighbors.
A CAP in Channelview, Texas, has worked closely with the Equistar and Lyondell plants in that community since 1991. CAP member participation in a 2006 plant open house and dinner resulted in the recruitment of new members to the CAP. The CAP also advised the company during an upgrade to the plant community alert system, which includes community sirens, AM radio station and automated telephone call system.
Recently, the CAP for the Morris, Illinois, plant began learning about the Incident Command System for managing emergency response, how the Morris plant utilizes that management system in responding to emergencies, and how that process integrates with other community emergency service organizations.
The panel visited the Emergency Operations Center of the Grundy County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) for a tour of the facility and for presentations by the county EMA staff on how the county is prepared to manage emergencies of all types. They learned how the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) functions to coordinate response to chemical emergencies through the County Hazmat Team and/or through the area mutual aid system.
Morris CAP members also have toured the plant’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to see the extensive preparations made by the site to manage internal emergencies, including the plant’s Incident Command System.
In Europe, LyondellBasell plays a leadership role in similar organizations that bring industry and neighbors together for constructive dialogue. These include the Rozenburg Klankbord group in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and CLIé in Fos-sur-Mer, France.
After many years of participation with Cyprés (Information Center for the Public) on Major Industrial Risks and community acceptability, LyondellBasell’s Fos-sur-Mer, Feuillene plant in southern France established a separate Community Advisory Panel (CAP) or CLIé in 2004 for the Ouest Provence communities near Fos / Port Saint Louis.
Participants include local elected officials, permit authorities, environmentalists and neighbors. LyondellBasell management has the opportunity to regularly present updates on plant operations, safety, health and environmental performance, as well as risk management at these meetings. These opportunities for dialogue are providing all participants with a forum to gain a better understanding of the interests and concerns that participants hold.
This was best expressed by Monsieur René Raimondi, Mayor of Fos, in a speech given during a conference organized by the Ecomaires: “LyondellBasell is probably the industrialist that people consider as the best because they communicate well, because they are involved in a number of community actions, and they participate each time there is something to be done for the environment. It’s not only that they mind their image; I believe they are exemplary in the way they operate, and in the way they communicate. This is what we want to achieve, we need to go to our industry neighbors and tell them, ‘Listen: this is the best practice we see in risk management’”.
In Asia, we have joined with various organizations to take part in local environmental and safety improvement activities, including the Petrochemicals Industries Association in Taiwan.
Thousands of volunteers. Dozens of communities. Innumerable lives touched. All in one day. Find out more.