86 A BICENTENNIAL HISTORY OF MISSISSIPPI CHEVRON PASCAGOULA REFINERY Since beginning operation in 1963, the Chevron Pascagoula Refinery has grown to be the corporation’s largest U.S. refinery and one of the top petroleum refineries in the United States. The refinery’s success is built upon business and community partnerships with the people of Jackson County, as well as production of quality products in ways that are compatible with the community and the environment. At the heart of the Pascagoula Refinery’s success are Chevron’s employees and their commitment to The Chevron Way. Employees share Chevron’s vision to be the global energy company most admired for its people, partnership, and performance. Approximately 1,500 employees and roughly 2,500 contractors work at the Pascagoula Refinery. Operating around the clock, 365 days a year, the Pascagoula Refinery processes 330,000 barrels, or 13.9 million gallons, of crude oil per day. The refinery’s primary products are motor gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel fuel. Other products include fuel oils such as bunker fuel, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), aviation gasoline, petroleum coke, and sulfur. The refinery also manufactures specialty products that include paraxylene, a pure compound used as a feed stock in the textile and plastics industry; benzene, used in the manufacturing of a wide range of products including automobile tires, sporting goods, nylon, and pharmaceuticals; and premium base oils, used in high performance lubricants, including motor oils for consumer and commercial use. The Pascagoula Refinery is located east of the City of Pascagoula in an unincorporated area of Jackson County. The Chevron facilities are situated in the Bayou Casotte Industrial Park on over 3,000 acres adjacent to the Mississippi Sound. Since only a portion of the property is developed, about two-thirds of the acreage is wetlands and forestlands that are home to many species of wildlife indigenous to the Gulf Coast. PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHEVRON PASCAGOULA REFINERY