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Valero Energy Corporation

Valero Energy Corporation is a major source of Dirty Energy Money for Congress, with over $2.8 million in donations since 1999 and more than $250 million in the 112th Congress alone. As America’s, and the world’s, largest independent refiner, Valero is often front and center of regulatory battles over clean air and climate change.

In 2010, Valero was the ringleader of an attack on California’s climate change legislation. Known as Proposition 23, the energy industry, led by Valero, spent millions of dollars urging Californian voters to suspend implementation of legislation that curtails greenhouse gas emissions. They failed when, in November 2010, voters defeated the proposition.

Valero is also at the center of the ongoing fight over the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. If the pipeline ever gets built, Valero will be its biggest customer and its Port Arthur refinery has invested billions of dollars to convert the heavy sour crude from Canada’s tar sands primarily into diesel for export.

Valero has given 83% of its contributions to Republicans who have in this Congress proposed dozens of bills and amendments that would favor Valero. These include bills aimed at restricting the EPA’s ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and several attempts to fast track permitting of the Keystone XL pipeline.

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