Valero Bill Greehey Refinery
1147 Cantwell Lane
Corpus Christi, Texas 78407
(361) 289-6000

Known as the “refinery of the future” when it was commissioned in 1983, Valero’s Corpus Christi Refinery is the last grass roots refinery built in the U.S. The refinery is designed to process low-cost, “bottom of the barrel” crude oil into premium, environmentally clean transportation fuels and products including low sulfur gasoline and ultra low sulfur diesel. While being one of the most modern and efficient refineries in the world, Valero has continued to invest in the best available control technology to protect the environment. These above and beyond efforts have earned the company several state and national environmental honors. In 2001, Valero purchased another Corpus Christi refinery from El Paso Energy that was previously owned by Coastal Corporation. The facility is located less than a mile from Valero’s original refinery, and the company has made capital improvements to fully integrate the two refineries.

The Valero Bill Greehey Refinery has approximately 820 full-time employees and 300 contract employees which represent more than $89 million in annual employee payroll and approximately $20 million in annual contractor payroll. Annually, Valero makes more than $110 million in local purchases and pays more than $8.7 million in local school and property taxes.

The Valero Bill Greehey Refinery has received the following awards:

• First petroleum refinery to receive the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence.
• OSHA Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) “Star Site” Refineries.
• First petroleum refinery to have its major contractors certified in OSHA’s VPP program.
• National Petrochemical & Refiners Association Gold Award for Safety.
• Consistently ranked near the top of Fortune magazine’s annual list of “100 Best Companies to Work For”.
• Consistently ranked near the top of Forbes magazine’s annual list of “400 Best Big Companies”.

The Valero Volunteer Council has logged over 17,000 hours on community projects such as Adopt a School, Junior Achievement, Project “Supply Our Students” and Operation Paintbrush. The Valero Bill Greehey Refinery employees had the United Way of the Coastal Bend’s first $500,000+ campaign and the employees have also contributed to numerous other charitable organizations.

Article: Discovering Oil in a Big Way