PORT ARTHUR-U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, joined Port Arthur Mayor Deloris Prince and other local officials in touring the Motiva Refinery in Port Arthur on Aug. 7.
Cornyn heard an update on the refinery's proposed expansion, and discussed the importance of expanding refinery capacity in the United States for increased national and economic security. Motiva President and CEO Bill Welte briefed Sen. Cornyn on the project's status.
"It's one thing to talk about energy independence and another thing to actually work toward it. The proposed Motiva Refinery expansion is a tangible step forward on the path to U.S. energy independence," Sen. Cornyn said in a press release. "When completed, the Motiva expansion has the potential of generating thousands of jobs, billions in revenue for the local and Texas economy, and the output equivalent of constructing a new refinery here at home-a development that hasn't happened in more than 30 years.
"This expansion project would be a historic accomplishment for America's energy security and serve as yet another feather in the cap of Texas energy production."
Motiva has proposed expanding its refinery capacity by 325,000 barrels of crude oil per day, bringing its total capacity to 600,000 barrels a day. When completed, the expansion project would make the Port Arthur Motiva Refinery the largest oil refinery in the country.
In addition to the project's significance in making America more energy-independent, it is also expected to generate thousands of jobs and more than $15 billion in revenue for Jefferson County and the region, as the local community continues to recover from Hurricane Rita.
Sen. Cornyn serves on the Armed Services, Judiciary and Budget Committees. In addition, he is Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee's Immigration, Border Security and Refugees subcommittee and the Armed Services Committee's Airland subcommittee.