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Left to Right: Jaime DeLaCruz, Dan Ehrhart, Aspen Steib, Sheriff Mike Tregre, Bubbie Anderson, Jeff Clement |
Bubbie Anderson, Division Manager, Dan Ehrhart, Division Controller, Jaime De La Cruz, HR Manager, and Aspen Steib, Community Relations Representative, of Marathon Petroleum Company’s Louisiana Refining Division in Garyville (“Marathon”) presented checks for Marathon’s 2013 property taxes totaling approximately $24.9 million to St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff and Ex-Officio Tax Collector Mike Tregre and Chief Civil Deputy Jeff Clement on December 27, 2013. The payment is an increase of $756 thousand over the previous year, and represents approximately 46% percent of the total property taxes collected by St.John the Baptist Parish this year. In addition to property taxes, Marathon’s sales and use tax payments to the Parish are estimated at $13.5 million for 2013.
Marathon’s contribution to the Parish is not limited to the amount of taxes paid. The refinery also conducts business with over 100 local merchants and suppliers, and generates a significant amount of employment for area residents. Marathon directly employs approximately 850 full-time employees in its refinery operations and an additional 40-50 employees in its terminal, pipeline, and other support activities. In addition, approximately 650 full-time contract employees work at the plant daily.
The company has invested millions of dollars in the Garyville refinery to fully comply with new environmental regulations, and enjoys one of the best environmental records in Louisiana, as evidenced by the number of Louisiana Governor’s Awards for Environmental Excellence received by the refinery. The Garyville refinery is committed to energy efficient products and practices as recognized by the US EPA and US Department of Energy’s ENERGY STAR award and the American Chemical Council’s Responsible Care® Energy Efficiency Award. In addition, the refinery has been recognized by OSHA for its commitment to safety and health, as it is one of only 31 in the United States designated as an OSHA VPP STAR facility.
In addition to tax payments to the Parish, Marathon and its employees contribute to the community through significant involvement and financial support of many charitable organizations and activities. Marathon provides monetary support to all K-12 schools in the Parish, and also conducts school supply backpack drives, hands-on scientific experiments, expo days and other financial and educational activities at various schools throughout the year. They have also partnered with the Supriya Jindal Foundation to install more than three dozen “smart boards” in schools throughout the Parish. Marathon also supports the San Francisco Plantation Foundation, St John Parish United Way, South Central Louisiana Technical College, and various volunteer fire departments in addition to its many other philanthropic contributions.