Three internal memos from Mobil, Chevron, and Texaco show different ways the oil giants closed down refining capacity and drove independent refiners out of business since the mid 1990s. The confidential memos, made public by US Senator Ron Wyden, demonstrate a nationwide effort by American Petroleum Institute, the lobbying and research arm of the oil industry, to encourage the major refiners to close their refineries in the mid-1990s in order to raise the price at the pump. Here’s the original news release. Memos themselves below.
Internal Texaco Memo Showing Effort to Reduce Refining Capacity
Internal Mobil memo showing effort to reduce refining capacity
Internal Chevron Memo Showing Effort to Reduce Refining Capacity
And this: