[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 38 (Thursday, March 6, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E318]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE VALERO TEXAS CITY REFINERY

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                           HON. NICK LAMPSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 6, 2008

  Mr. LAMPSON. Madam Speaker, today we honor the 100th anniversary of 
the Valero Texas City Refinery. Over the past 100 years, Texas City, 
Texas, has established itself as a major center for our Nation's energy 
production. Texas City's history is a testament to hard work and the 
American Dream, in that such success has grown from the small refinery 
established by the Texas City Refining Company so long ago.
  In 1908, J.C. Black, joined by more than 100 craftsmen, constructed a 
refinery consisting of just 11 stills, storage tanks, and a boiler 
house. In the beginning, the refinery had the capacity to process only 
1,500 barrels of oil per day. Enduring a depression, technological 
revolutions, and the hardships all businesses experience, the Valero 
Texas City refinery now produces 243,000 barrels per day of ultra low 
sulfur gasoline and diesel.
  Texas City matured with this refinery. When America entered World War 
I and then World War II, the refinery increased production to meet the 
Nation's petroleum demands, fueling America's victory. During this 
period the population of Texas City tripled as men and women answered 
the patriotic call to serve in the Nation's war efforts.
  Today, the proud, hard working spirit is alive and well as the Valero 
Texas City refinery continues to play an integral role in the economic 
well-being of southeast Texas and the United States. I am proud to 
honor the thousands of men and women who have been working on our 
behalf throughout the past 100 years. Texas City's first refinery is 
indeed deserving of recognition from the United States House of 
Representatives upon its 100th anniversary.

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