The Chevron Richmond Refinery is a unique facility and we are aware of our special location and have developed our programs and policies accordingly. As part of our good neighbor policy, we have undertaken a refinery beautification program in addition to our efforts to improve the environment. This involves removing obsolete equipment, painting storage tanks to blend with the hillsides, planting drought-tolerant native trees and landscaping the refinery perimeter.
We employ our own onsite fire department comprised of state-certified fire fighters and emergency medical technicians. Our fire department maintains regular contact with state and local agencies and works with them to conduct large-scale emergency drills.
We are in strict compliance with all regulations and endeavor to stay ahead of the ever-changing technical and regulatory environment. For example, at the Chevron Richmond Refinery we have eliminated the use of chlorine gas in our cooling water towers and even reduced the chlorine in the swimming pool at our recreation facility.
In an effort to reduce air emissions and increase energy efficiency, we built a $150 million gas turbine cogeneration plant designed to provide most of the electrical and steam power we require.
All of our employees are trained to manage and protect natural resources. Innovative pollution-control technologies and state-of-the-art equipment are used throughout the refinery, often allowing us to turn waste into useful materials through new recycling processes. We've directed our efforts to saving energy, reducing air emissions and waste, treating water and protecting the Bay, preventing oil spills and preserving and restoring natural ecosystems.