Corporate Citizenship & Sustainability
SEC rules will hurt U.S. competitiveness, cost jobs
If you were trying to think up a sure-fire way to undercut the competitiveness of U.S. oil and gas companies, you would be hard pressed to find a more effective method than the one just provided by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Earlier today the SEC voted new regulations into effect that will significantly disadvantage publicly traded oil and gas companies listed in the United States against our foreign competitors, especially state-owned national oil companies.
Farewell to a hero and inspiration
Like so many Americans, I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Sally Ride yesterday after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer. Many knew her for her accomplishments as the first American woman in space. However, among her many achievements was to inspire young people, particularly girls, to become interested in science and to pursue careers in science, engineering and math.
2011 Corporate Citizenship Report now available
We recently released our annual Corporate Citizenship Report, now in its ninth year. The report details ExxonMobil’s plans and performance over 2011 related to safety, the environment, economic development, corporate governance and social progress throughout our global business. You can download the report and access the key data at our website.
Which teacher had the most significant impact on your life and career?
For former astronaut Dr. Sally Ride, it was her high school science teacher, Dr. Mommaerts. In an op-ed featured this week on Mashable.com, Ride celebrates Teacher Appreciation Week by talking about Dr. Mommaerts’ efforts to not only teach her about science, but to give her the confidence to believe she could do anything – including becoming the first American woman to travel in space. It’s that all-important combination of competence and confidence that teachers must possess in order to pass it along to their students. And as Dr. Ride mentions in her op-ed, those are the skills we want to help teachers further develop at the Sally Ride Science Academy, a key element in ExxonMobil’s commitment to math and science education in the U.S.
Let’s solve our math and science challenges
The United States is known for its history of innovation and technological leadership – from transportation to medicine to personal and mobile computing. Looking back, it’s hardly a coincidence that for many years, American students were among the top performers when it came to math and science. While the importance of these fundamental fields of study has not waivered, U.S. proficiency in them has. U.S. students ranked 25th in math and 17th in science in the most recent international testing.
Highlights of the World Petroleum Congress
Big events are taking place this week in Doha as the State of Qatar hosts the 2011 World Petroleum Congress (WPC). The WPC is a triennial meeting that brings together the world’s oil and gas leaders along with governments, NGOs, and international institutions to discuss the direction of the industry and its role in fostering global economic growth.
