ExxonMobil & Greenpoint | Our Greenpoint Commitment

ExxonMobil takes its environmental remediation responsibilities seriously. Our goal is the same as the community's – to remediate the petroleum contamination stemming from our historical operations in Greenpoint as quickly and safely as possible.

Our commitment

We will be in Greenpoint until the job is done and done right. Remediation projects such as the one in Greenpoint – where petroleum products are underground and not easily accessed – simply take time to complete, and remediation is expected to continue for a number of years. Throughout this time, the health, safety and welfare of those living and working in the Greenpoint community are our number one priority.

ExxonMobil & Greenpoint

Our work in Greenpoint

The Northeast section of Greenpoint is the site of petroleum contamination from multiple contributors that accumulated over more than 100 years. To date, more than 9 million gallons of product have been recovered by ExxonMobil, and a total of more than 13 million gallons recovered overall.

Exxonmobil & Greenpoint

History

The Northeast section of Greenpoint, in Brooklyn, New York, is a heavily industrialized area and the former site of numerous refinery and chemical operations dating back to the mid 1800’s. Refinery operations ended in 1965, when the Mobil Oil Refinery (formerly Standard Oil of New York) was dismantled. The site continued operations as a terminal until 1993.

In September 1978 the U.S. Coast Guard on a routine patrol discovered a light sheen on the surface of Newtown Creek, used for nearly 200 years as an industrial waterway and urban discharge area. A subsequent investigation revealed petroleum products on top of groundwater generally 30-40 feet beneath the earth’s surface of a section of Greenpoint. Corrective steps were taken to stop the seepage into the waterway. Since then, ExxonMobil, BP Amoco and Chevron Texaco together have removed more than 13 million gallons of product.

Unlike oil spills produced by a single event, this petroleum contamination accumulated over more than 100 years as a result of multiple releases by multiple contributors. ExxonMobil takes its environmental responsibilities very seriously and monitors water and free product levels on a monthly basis to prevent potential seepage into Newtown Creek.

Our facilities

Greenpoint facilities include two systems – on-site and off-site systems. The on-site systems refer to property that was a part of the former refinery footprint. These systems consist of dual-pump technology wells, and two water treatment facilities.

Throughout the remediation history there have been more than 40 wells in operation. As wells cease their effectiveness because they have recovered the product in a specific area, they are taken out of service.

Are you interested in seeing our facilities and learning more about our work?