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To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (136622)	9/2/2005 4:53:29 PM
From: John Carragher	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 794043

xon press release A little info on gas prices.....ExxonMobil did contribute 7 million to the relief fund... Fairfax Public Affairs 09/02/05 03:19 Subject INFO: Hurricane Katrina's Effect on our Operations & Gasoline Prices Hurricane Katrina's Effect on our Operations & Gasoline Prices As you have witnessed, thousands of people in the Gulf-coast area are experiencing firsthand the physical and emotional hardship of the devastation caused by Katrina. Many ExxonMobil employees and families have been impacted by this terrible disaster, the full extent of which is still being assessed. Our hearts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of those impacted by this and with the survivors as they begin putting their lives back in order. For employees impacted by the hurricane, ExxonMobil has established an assistance program which includes interest-free emergency loans, advances in salary, paid time off to attend to personal needs, and access to temporary transportation assistance. If you are in touch with any employees affected by the hurricane, please have them call the toll-free assistance line (877-294-8617) or their immediate supervisor as soon as possible to advise of their status and to discuss any needed Company assistance. Since establishing the toll-free line, we have already heard from over half our affected employees, and the rate of calls continues to increase. What is the Status of our Operations? Operations at Chalmette Refining remain shut down. We were able to gain access to the refinery Thursday, September 1, to assess the situation, and it appears to be in better condition than initially anticipated. However, it is still too soon to conduct a thorough assessment. The safety and well-being of our employees is still the biggest challenge facing us. Restoring basic infrastructure in the New Orleans area, a stable supply of electricity, and reopening of the Mississippi are essential to being able to repair and operate the refinery. Our Baton Rouge refinery continued to operate throughout the hurricane and is currently running at a reduced rate due to limited crude supplies. We will be increasing the production of gasoline and other fuel products over the next several days and will promptly ramp-up production rates further as crude supply from the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) and other sources increase above today's levels. This will help ease customer demands in regions hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina. We are working closely with the U.S. Government and others to restore gasoline supply. Efforts include the release of crude from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), waivers to expedite the flow of gasoline and diesel around the country -- actions that are very helpful at a time when logistics and distribution of fuels is extremely difficult and critical. What is Going on with Gasoline Prices? Even before the hurricane's devastating impact, American consumers were obviously concerned over the rising cost of gasoline, diesel and other fuels. Energy markets, including the commodity gasoline market, are global, openly traded and transparent. The storm has generated a fundamental and significant impact to near term supplies in the U.S. As a result of these supply and demand impacts, spot commodity gasoline prices in commercial markets have increased. Over the past several days, heightened price volatility and uncertain gasoline supplies associated with this major natural disaster have created an extremely difficult situation for ExxonMobil's customers. Demand at the company's Exxon and Mobil stations has nearly doubled. Wholesale spot market and NYMEX gasoline prices have risen substantially in the U.S. and around the world. ExxonMobil is making branded fuel available to its independent retailers and distributors at wholesale prices below the spot market and NYMEX gasoline prices. The vast majority of Exxon and Mobil service stations are operated by individual dealers and distributors who purchase their fuel products from ExxonMobil and set their own retail prices. The company encourages its independent dealers and distributors to act as responsible neighbors in their communities in this difficult situation. We will continue to follow the market dynamics and focus on restoring supply stability. ExxonMobil is providing in-kind fuels and lubricants to government emergency responders. Katrina's aftermath, however, underscores the need for all drivers to take seriously common-sense energy conservation recommendations for reducing the amount of fuel they consume.