Performance

The API Toxics Release Inventory Report

The API Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) report addresses the estimated amount of toxic chemicals released to the environment or disposed on-site and/or transferred off-site in wastes by petroleum facilities, including but not limited to, petroleum refineries and bulk plants and terminals, as reported to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by industry from 1988 to 2005. It is based on the EPA's annual Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), which was created by the 1986 Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. The TRI Program was later expanded by the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990.

"Oil and Gas Industry Guidance on Voluntary Sustainability Reporting"

API is pleased to announce the availability of the recently approved Oil and Gas Industry Guidance on Voluntary Sustainability Reporting - Using Environmental, Health and Safety, Social and Economic Performance Indicators.

The Guidance is intended as a voluntary reference to assist oil and gas companies interested in reporting on their environmental, health and safety, social and economic performance. It creates a common framework for sustainability or non-financial reporting that enables interested audiences and company stakeholders to better understand performance of oil and gas companies that operate anywhere in the world.

Environmental Record of Performance - 2008

The oil and natural gas industry provides the fuels and products that support our nation’s economy and better its citizens’ quality of life. We help make factories and businesses run; we help move goods, people, and information; and we contribute to the creation of millions of jobs.

We also understand that the environment we share – the air we all breathe, the water we all drink and the land we all enjoy – is another important element of our quality of life. And through rigorous controls and technological innovations, we are taking better and better care of the natural environment.

The oil and natural gas industry's record of environmental performance over the past 30 years shows significant improvements in environmental quality across all sectors of the industry. These improvements didn’t come cheaply.

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Vehicles and Air Quality

The U.S. oil and natural gas industry has invested more than $148 billion since 1990 toward improving the environmental performance of its products, facilities and operations — $504 for every man, woman and child in the United States. In the year 2005 alone, $10.7 billion was spent implementing new technologies, creating cleaner fuels and funding ongoing environmental initiatives. An additional $1.7 went toward research and development, corporate environmental programs and spill remediation efforts.

One of the results of this investment is that as the demand for oil and natural gas grows higher, pollution levels are decreasing. This is a measure of the industry’s strong commitment to providing American consumers both the innovative products they demand and the safe, healthy environment they deserve.

Click on the Performance subsection links on the left for more information.