Contact: Jennifer Scott (202) 249-6512  
Email: jennifer_scott@americanchemistry.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 11, 2012) - The American Chemistry Council (ACC) issued the following statement in response to today's announcement by  Braskem America, Inc. that it has acquired a portion of the former Sunoco Inc. refinery in Marcus Hook, Penn. The announcement was made at a press conference attended by Governor Tom Corbett, state Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, and Braskem America CEO Fernando Musa.

"Today's announcement shows that America's chemistry industry continues to be a leader in creating and preserving jobs," said Cal Dooley, ACC President and CEO. "Braskem's commitment to the Marcus Hook polypropylene plant and the North American petrochemical market reflects the significant new U.S. investment being made across our industry."

Braskem is one of several companies that have announced investment in chemistry production in the United States, including The Dow Chemical Company, Shell Chemical LP, ChevronPhillips Company LP and ExxonMobil.

Braskem's project includes the purchase of propylene assets at the Marcus Hook site, which the company will use to make polypropylene, a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications including automotive, housewares, packaging and textiles.

Chemistry companies in Pennsylvania directly employ more than 43,000 people and indirectly contribute close to 280,000 jobs. For every chemistry industry job in Pennsylvania, an additional five jobs are created within the state's economy.