Exxon Mobil Corporation has averted a strike at its Baytown refinery, after a union there ratified a new agreement with the company. The United Steelworkers union, which represents about 850 workers at the refinery, threatened to strike last month after Exxon Mobil did not go along with some worker proposals for safety improvements. But members of the union approved a newly negotiated agreement with Exxon Mobil that incorporated some of the workers' proposals. The company will establish a limit on the number of consecutive days an employee can work at the refinery. It also agreed to create a full-time "process safety representative," which the union recommended as a way to help identify and propose solutions for safety issues at the refinery.

Synthetic Genomics Inc. announced a new co-funded research agreement with ExxonMobil to develop algae biofuels. The new agreement is a basic science research program that focuses on developing algal strains with significantly improved production characteristics by employing synthetic genomic science and technology. The new agreement focuses on Synthetic Genomics Inc.'s core strengths in synthetic biology and will allow the company to further explore this promising area of research to develop improved algal strains. The agreement places greater emphasis on basic scientific research to develop strains which reproduce quickly, produce a high proportion of lipids and effectively withstand environmental and operational conditions.

Golden Pass Products LLC announced that its shareholders' affiliates Qatar Petroleum International (QPI) and ExxonMobil have signed a Commercial Framework Agreement for the proposed liquefaction project at the world-class Golden Pass LNG terminal facility in Sabine Pass, Texas. This arrangement establishes a commercial framework to sell up to the full 15.6 million metric ton annual (MTA) output of the Golden Pass Products liquefaction project, and provide shipping and sales opportunities to existing and new markets, including leveraging the sponsors' long-term arrangements for international imports via the United Kingdom's South Hook facility. Golden Pass shareholders and their joint ventures are world leaders in the LNG business with operational LNG expertise, financial capabilities, access to shipping fleets, large-scale regasification facilities and a diverse global customer portfolio.