THE CHEMICAL WORLD THIS WEEK

Commonwealth Oil's petrochemical plant in Puerto Rico Chemical firms stick to project timetables

most original papers given at regional meetings, with national meetings con­centrating on review papers, invited papers, award presentation papers, and the like.

The Searle chemical research direc­tor sums up his view of ACS's role in promoting the professional status of chemists in one sentence. "Nothing beats competence," he says. Salary and status will follow, he says, if a chemist demonstrates excellence in his performance.

Dr. Riegel was recently awarded the 24th Midwest Award by the St. Louis Section of ACS for his research in vitamin K, cancer chemotherapy, saxi-toxin, antimalarials, and steroid hor­mones (C&EN, Nov. 18, page 71). His career spans 14 years at North­western University and 17 with Searle in Skokie, 111. He follows Dr. Wallace R. Brode as the second consecutive ACS President-Elect who studied for his Ph.D. under Dr. Roger Adams at the University of Illinois.

Dr. Overberger, as newly elected Director for Region II, will continue a relationship with the Board of Direc­tors which began in 1962. He was a director through 1965, and an ex officio director 1966-68 during his years as President-Elect, President, and Past-President of ACS. Thus he brings with him what is very much an "insider's" view of the problems and challenges which face ACS. Among these, he says, is the need for in­creased member participation in So­ciety decision-making, including an ex­panded role for the Council, the need for better cooperation among the So­ciety's divisions, constant reassessment of Chemical Abstracts Service's finan­cial structure and its relationship to ACS, and the need for modernization of the primary journal system.

Dr. Fisher's term as Director, Re­gion IV, will be his first on the Board. In one respect, Dr. Fisher's election to the Board exemplifies democracy at work within ACS—he was nominated not by the Council Committee on Nominations and Elections but instead by petition. The New Orleans-based scientist has served ACS in a wide variety of other positions, however, in­cluding chairman of the Philadelphia Section, councilor, on the Council Policy Committee, and Committee Ad­visory to the President. He has also been president of the American In­stitute of Chemists (1962-63).

As well as continuing and improving the valuable services of ACS to chem­istry and chemical research, Dr. Fisher says, the Society should expand and strengthen its interest in the impact of science and technology on society and world affairs.

PUERTO RICO:

Business As Usual The rules for doing business in Puerto Rico aren't expected to change much as a result of the election of Luis A. Ferré as governor of the island com­monwealth. At least this is the hope and the opinion of U.S. chemical ex­ecutives whose companies plan large investments on the island.

U.S. firms with investments in Puerto Rico were concerned over two issues in the election which saw Mr. Ferré defeat Luis Munoz. These were: the tax exemption status of in­dustry and statehood. Puerto Rico has been a commonwealth since 1952.

New investments are greeted in Puerto Rico with 10-, 12-, or 17-year tax holidays, depending on location. Since the island isn't a state, no federal taxes are paid. Mr. Ferré, on taking residence on Jan. 2 in La Fortaleza, the 400-year-old Governor's mansion in San Juan, may modify the tax exemp­tion inducement but the consensus is that any change will be minor and will not affect projects now completed or those already committed.

U.S. chemical executives say that Mr. Ferré, an MIT graduate with de­grees in electrical and mechanical en­gineering, is a realist who appreciates Puerto Rico's need for more industry. "He is foremost a businessman," com­ments one such executive.

A vital but latent issue for Puerto Rico is statehood. Mr. Ferré says that he will ask for repeated référendums to build popular support among his peo­ple for becoming the 51st state. This issue didn't fire the imagination of the electorate in the campaign. Again, U.S. chemical executives believe that statehood is a generation away. "Puerto Ricans have the best of both worlds right now," explains one. "They receive federal aid without hav­ing to pay income or excise taxes."

Chemical firms with major projeets

scheduled for Puerto Rico are sticking to their timetables. PPG Industries says it will soon break ground on its six-plant petrochemical complex. Rob­inson Barker, chairman and chief ex­ecutive officer of the Pittsburgh-based firm, says the bulk of the $150 million PPG will spend in 1969 is earmarked for Puerto Rico.

The election will not affect Union Carbide's plans either. The firm says that by 1970 its total investment in the island will reach $250 million.

Sun Oil also is sticking to plans to spend $125 million for a refinery and $11 to $12 million on harbor improve­ment at Yabucoa. The refinery would contain both crude and lube oil units.

Commonwealth Oil Co. has its ex­pansion program well under way, ac­cording to president Sam H. Casey. A second aromatics plant and a 50% expansion of the Hercor p-xylene plant are now being constructed. Scheduled are oxo-alcohols and phthalic anhy­dride plants to be owned jointly by Corco and W. R. Grace and Co., and a large olefins plant, a joint venture of Corco and PPG Industries. By the end of 1968, Corco's investment in its Penuelas complex will exceed $200 million. This figure will rise to $300 million by 1970, according to the firm.

But one investment scheduled by Corco for Puerto Rico has been scratched. Foster Grant's decision to build its own styrene plant at Baton Rouge, La., means that Corco will not build a merchant facility at Penuelas. Corco, however, will supply Foster Grant benzene feedstock.

Loss of the styrene plant is partially balanced by the formation by Corco and TRW, Inc., of HYSTL Develop­ment Co., a firm which plans product and market development of thermoset­ting plastic resin systems based on high vinyl polybutadiene glycol. Eventual commercialization could re­sult in a polybutadienes plant for Puerto Rico.

14 C&EN DEC. 9, 1968