Environmental accountability today stands as one of the most important measures by which a company is regarded, says Saudi Aramco President & CEO, Abdallah S Jum'ah.

"If an organisation is not active in safeguarding the Earth's natural resources, its best efforts in all other business areas are diminished. Indeed, the very perception of corporate attitudes toward environmental protection carries significant weight in the public's trust of that company." says Jum'ah.
Concern for the environment is one of Saudi Aramco's basic responsibilities and a long-standing company commitment.
The Environment Protection Department provides leadership on environmental issues and ensures that the company operates in an environmentally responsible manner.
Saudi Aramco has developed a broad array of operational requirements, engineering standards and performance guidelines to direct its commitment. These include sanitary codes, project environmental assessments, air and water quality standards, occupational health regulations, hazardous material communication guidelines, waste management procedures and vital oil spill contingency plans.
Of parallel importance is the commitment to safety. The Loss Prevention Department's mission is to ensure the safety of Saudi Aramco employees and the public, as well as company assets, by identifying hazards, by controlling risks and by educating and motivating company personnel and their families to work and live safely.
 Beneath the surface of Saudi Arabia exists a supply of water that for centuries has provided the essence of life.
The protection of this vital resource is an important responsibility and one of Saudi Aramco's highest priorities.
In order to maintain high standards of purity, Saudi Aramco assesses water quality from source through distribution to ensure that it is free from harmful biological and chemical contamination and is safe for use.
Water wells, seawater intakes, treatment plants and distribution systems are routinely inspected to ensure compliance with government and company standards. Likewise, under the Saudi Aramco Protection Program, water samples are regularly collected from more than 400 groundwater monitoring wells at various company facilities, including bulk plants, fueling terminals, producing facilities, refineries/terminals, and waste storage and disposal sites, in order to detect groundwater impact if any.
Subsequently, the resulting analytical data are reviewed and risk analysis studies are conducted to determine if site remediation is required.
Saudi Aramco also monitors its industrial and community wastewater for physiochemical, organic, non-organic, and biological pollutants.
Data are analysed and reported to the Kingdom's Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME).
While ongoing campaigns stress the conservation of drinking water, Saudi Aramco's water conservation efforts include the recycling of wastewater that has undergone tertiary treatment. This treated water is then used for landscape irrigation at most company communities.
The Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea support breathtaking, fragile marine ecosystems.
Both seas host several Saudi Aramco oil and gas recovery sites where the company has conducted groundbreaking studies to ensure that the marine environment is protected.
Major marine investigations are currently in progress:
•The 24-year-old Bioaccumulation Monitoring Program focuses on Saudi Arabian Gulf Coast clams and monitors the entry of hydrocarbons and heavy-metal toxins into the food chain.
•A Red Sea Bioaccumulation Monitoring Program was established and focuses on Saudi Aramco facilities in the western region.
Saudi Aramco also works with the Kingdom's National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development to establish mangrove transplantation sites to expand the range of mangrove habitats along the Arabian Gulf coastline. These habitats are essential nursery grounds for fish and shrimp.
Saudi Aramco has also conducted a satellite imagery-based change-detection study to determine alterations in mangrove distribution in a major bay system on the Arabian Gulf coast which is experiencing significant coastal development.
Since 1984, Saudi Aramco has provided sole support for a joint sustaining project in marine environmental studies at a research institution in a local university. This project is currently in its fourth 5-year phase (2001-2006) and focuses on studies related to water quality and eutrophication, pollutant transport modeling, ballast water as vector for species, coral reef monitoring, and biotope mapping.
Saudi Aramco also operates a number of sophisticated air monitoring stations throughout the Kingdom to ensure that facilities meet national and company air quality standards.
These stations record parameters such as sulphur dioxide, inhalable particulates, ozone, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen sulphide. The meteorological data collected support routine operations and assist in the planning of new facilities.
Saudi Aramco also monitors facility emissions at their sources using stack testing and process control monitoring. Many advanced technologies are used to measure or control the level of atmospheric emissions from Saudi Aramco's industrial facilities.