2024 ESG Report FINAL - Report - Page 31
Environment
Wildlife Protection Programs:
• Nature Boardwalk (Pwllcrochan Environmental Centre):
Valero Pembroke Re昀椀nery in the U.K. has partnered with
Pwllcrochan Environmental Centre for over 20 years to
support their nature boardwalk educational program.
In 2023, over 900 students visited the site where Valero
volunteers support educators during teaching sessions to
help students learn about the wildlife and habitats around
the site.
• Biodiversity Action Plan: Our Pembroke re昀椀nery
implemented a Biodiversity Action Plan through which it
creates and sustains habitat for wildlife on 500 acres it
owns outside its fenceline. This includes initiatives such as
the preservation of grass and wild昀氀owers for pollinators,
including bumblebees and butter昀氀ies, as well as bird
rehabilitation and protection efforts. The work has focused on
kestrel birds, an "Amber-listed" bird species of conservation
concern in the U.K., which has resulted in successful kestrel
breeding nests during the last 20 years at the re昀椀nery
grounds.
Digital microscopes were used enabling
students to have a closer look at the aquatic
animals at the Pwllcrochan Environmental
Centre in Pembroke, U.K.
• Iowa Department of Natural Resources: The Valero Albert
City Ethanol Plant is allowing the Iowa Department of Natural
Resources (DNR) access to the site’s stormwater pond to
band goslings. In 2022 and 2023, over 100 goslings were
banded, which will help the DNR track the population and
observe their migration and travel patterns.
Water-Focused Programs:
• Gulf of Mexico Alliance: The Valero Port Arthur Re昀椀nery
became a 2022 Gulf Star Partner with the Gulf of Mexico
Alliance by supporting its Ocean Guardian School Program
in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration. This 昀椀ve-year program supports a
teacher leader at Lincoln Middle School in the Port Arthur
Independent School District to execute conservational
projects with students throughout the school year. In 2023,
students learned about the importance of watersheds, the
"6 Rs" that include Rethink/Reuse/Reduce/Reuse/Rot/Recycle,
impacts of marine debris and the steps they can take to
reduce trash that enters waterways.
Students are learning how to be responsible
and conscientious stewards of our
waterways through Valero's support of the
Ocean Guardian School Program at Lincoln
Middle School in Port Arthur.
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