Ocean Springs, Mississippi, August 27, 2021 — The Gulf of Mexico Alliance is pleased to announce a new partnership with Motiva Enterprises LLC as they become the most recent organization to join the Alliance’s Gulf Star Program. Funding from Motiva will support marine debris work in the Gulf Coast region over the next four years. Work in 2021 will include marine debris removal, prevention, and education activities with schools in the Tampa Bay area, where Motiva operates a distribution terminal.

“For Motiva, doing the right thing means protecting what means the most – people and the environment. We are committed to helping our surrounding communities, and society at large, flourish for generations to come,” said Georganne Hodges, Motiva Executive Vice President of Supply, Trading and Logistics. “We look forward to working with the Gulf of Mexico Alliance and local partners to reduce marine debris in areas that affect the Gulf of Mexico such as Tampa Bay, Florida.”

The Gulf Star Program is a unique public-private partnership that leverages contributions from agencies and businesses without requiring match funds from grant recipients. All projects in the Gulf Star Program accomplish actions identified by the Alliance’s Priority Issue Teams and Cross-Team Initiatives in the Governors’ Action Plan for Healthy and Resilient Coasts. Led by the five Gulf states, these Teams focus on activities that benefit from a regional, collaborative approach to improve the environmental and economic health of the Gulf.

Laura Bowie, executive director for the Gulf of Mexico Alliance said, “The Alliance’s accomplishments are built on the strength of our collaborative formula and we are excited to welcome Motiva as a Gulf Star Program partner. Their investment will support new initiatives that improve the environmental and economic health of the Gulf.”

Motiva joins the following Gulf Star partners: BHP, Shell, Freeport McMoRan, Hess, Chevron, Clean Gulf Associates, Equinor, Oxy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the five Gulf states.