Poisoning Our City
Valero isn’t our neighbor. Valero is a corporation based in Texas.
Valero doesn’t answer to Benicia. Valero answers to its shareholders.
In 2016, Valero faced a serious setback after residents rallied together to successfully stop Valero’s efforts to bring “crude-by-rail bomb trains” through Benicia. After that defeat, Valero doubled down on PAC spending, and the “Working Families” PAC started targeting candidates they viewed as unsympathetic to Valero’s interests.
But what are Valero’s interests? What does Valero want?
Here we explore Valero’s relationship with the City and its residents and examine why Valero is investing so much in the “Working Families” PAC to get their preferred candidates elected.
2022 Toxic Emissions Scandal
Earlier this year, Valero admitted that from 2000 to 2020 it had released into Benicia’s air approximately 10,000 tons of “Pre-Organic compounds” and 138 tons of “Toxic Air Contaminants,” including carcinogens, without informing Benicians or city officials. Certain of these emissions were hundreds of times the legal limits. Read more . . .
Valero's Dangerous “Crude-by-Rail” Proposal
Valero fights as hard to bring dangerous new projects to Benicia as they fight to erode the rules and regulations that keep Benicians safe.
What do you think a City Council beholden to Valero would do to protect our community? Read more . . .
Valero's lobbying and PR is bad for Benicians
With market value of $48 billion, Texas-based Valero Energy Corporation is a major member of the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), an oil industry association that has been described as “the most powerful corporate lobbying group in Sacramento.”
This is not to Benicia’s benefit. Many WSPA stances on crucial issues have potentially put Benicians’ and/or other Californians’ well-being at risk. Read more . . .