Monday, March 8, 2004 - Dow Community Advisory Panel Minutes

The Dow Community Advisory Panel met on Monday, March 8, 2004 at 6:00 p.m. at the Dow Conference Center. Those in attendance included the following:

After those present introduced themselves, the panel approved the minutes of the February 9, 2004 meeting.

Grand Bayou Update
The residents of Grand Bayou who desired to do so were able to return to their homes on Saturday, February 14, 2004. Dow and the other dome operators are putting together an offer to Grand Bayou residents regarding the purchase of their property. The road to Grand Bayou is once again open.

Responsible Care Performance
Mr. Graham provided the panel with Responsible Care Performance information (attached). There have been 3 OSHA injuries thus far in 2004. Since the February CAP meeting, a Dow employee received a burn from hot methocel slurry, causing blistering on the back of his legs, and a contractor got a knee injury while kneeling on both knees to perform a task. Both of these employees are back at work now. There were no outside complaints to report, no spills or incidents affecting the community, 1 DHH inspection at the cellulose plant, and 1 serious transportation incident which Dow responded to in Reese, Alabama. Mr. Graham explained that Dow responds to many incidents at other Dow sites. Although the responsibility of the product being transported is the carrier's responsibility, Dow responds to incidents dealing with their own product.

There have been 8 agency reportables thus far in 2004. There was a leak of vinyl chloride in a reflux line, which allowed 2.367 pounds of vinyl chloride and 26 pounds of hydrochloric acid to leak out. There were no measured effects of the leak outside the site perimeter. The panel asked that a report on this leak be included as an agenda topic for the April 2004 meeting. Additionally, there was a NOX exceedance at the LHC II plant, when a compressor was tripped. Mr. Graham will provide the amount of this exceedance to the CAP. In response to a panel member's question, Mr. Graham stated that leaks are detected through monitoring.

"Dow in the News"
Mr. Graham stated that Mr. Earl Shipp has been promoted and relocated to Midland, Michigan. Mr. Lee Trusty will become the new site manager on April 15, 2004. He will be in charge of the global, organic, and chlorine business. Mr. Trusty was born in Baton Rouge and his mother is from New Roads.

Ms. Babin provided the panel with copies of "Dow in the News - Louisiana Recap of February 2004" and community updates (attachments). She invited anyone interested in helping on the Habitat for Humanity - Port Allen Build to please do so. The Household Hazardous Materials Day is scheduled for April 24, 2004 at the Plaquemine Wal-Mart and at Memorial Stadium in Baton Rouge. The West Baton Rouge Relay for Life will be held on April 2.

Ms. Babin then provided CAP members with information on Dow's scholarship program (attachment). There is $87,000 in scholarship money available from various chemical companies. Dow will be offering seven $3,000 scholarships for high school graduates and mid-career adults who are graduates of high schools in Iberville, West Baton Rouge, Assumption, St. Charles and St. Helena Parishes. Career Builders is responsible for screening candidates. Interested persons can find more information at www.ptec101.com

There are still job openings at Dow. Interested persons can apply for these jobs at www.dow.com.

Morrisonville Documentary
Mr. Cambre, Executive Producer of the Morrisonville documentary, stated that Reverend Lawrence Philson and former Morrisonville residents were instrumental in the making of the film. He explained that the Morrisonville community was settled on the Mississippi River at Australia Point in the late 1880's by Reverend Morrison as a community for former slaves. The area stayed together as a community at that location for many years. Between 1970-1980, Dow's fenceline grew closer to the community, so Dow representatives spoke with community residents about a voluntary relocation program. The relocation was completed in 1992. Some of those residents moved to Morrisonville Estates in Plaquemine, and others settled at Morrisonville Acres near Brusly. Dow continues to maintain the community’s two cemeteries and allows persons from the community to visit the cemeteries - Mt. Olive and Nazarene. Burials are still allowed there, also. A monument honoring the memory of Reverend Morrison is located in the garden in the area. Dow continues to keep a close relationship with the Morrisonville Community.

In 1992, Dow shot videos of the homes in the community for documentation giving Dow representatives an opportunity to meet the residents and learn about their culture; however, the documentary was not completed until 2002. The film was presented to the community earlier this year and they may be planning to market it in other venues, i.e., PBS. A panel member thanked Dow and Mr. Cambre for their work in the production of the film, and for providing all former and present Morrisonville residents with a copy of the film. In response to a question by a panel member, Mr. Cambre stated that there are no plans to sell the film. If there are extra copies of the film, Mr. Cambre will make them available to CAP members.

Mr. Cambre stated that an advisory council was established to insure that the film was representative of the community.

Two people featured in the film have passed away since the film was produced. Throughout the process, the elderly people felt that they are losing their heritage due to technology.

Several panel members stated that the film was very well done and they were impressed with the sincerity of the people. Reverend Philson stated that he was blessed to be part of the Morrisonville community. He offered special thanks to Mr. Shipp for his assistance in the production of the film.

Next Meeting
The next Dow CAP meeting will be held on Monday, April 12, 2004 at 6:00 p.m. at the Dow Conference Center. The agenda will include an update on the vinyl leak and a presentation on the products Dow makes.