Tosco

From The Matrix

The largest independent oil refiner in the United States, Tosco has $25 billion in sales and more than 6,300 outlets, mostly under its 76 and Circle K brands. It also operates 700 retail outlets under the Exxon and Mobil names. In February 2001, Phillips agreed to purchase Tosco in a merger that is expected to be completed late this year.

Black marks:�In August 1998, Exxon and Tosco were both found guilty of discharging carcinogenic selenium into the San Francisco Bay. The companies agreed to pay $4.8 million in damages and for environmental restoration.

Refining record:�Of the five Tosco refineries Environmental Defense evaluated, one ranked in the top 15 percent. More recent events have tainted that record: A 1997 explosion at Tosco�s accident-plagued refinery in Martinez, California, killed one worker and injured 46. The company was fined $136,000 for 22 safety violations. In 1999, another explosion at the same facility killed four and injured one, netting Tosco $2 million in criminal penalties for 33 safety violations.

Green initiatives:�Tosco�s motor-oil containers promote 1-800-CLEANUP, a nationwide service that provides information on local recycling centers, energy conservation, and disposal of toxic products (including gasoline). The company made headlines when it vowed to eliminate MTBE, a suspected carcinogen, from gasoline sold at its 1,600 76 and Circle K outlets in California, contingent on the EPA waiving the federal fuel-additive requirement. (The EPA rejected the waiver request in June.)

[taken from http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200109/hattam1.asp]