Getting Gas
- Posted by: SamSchwartz , PhilLubliner
- on December 11, 2006 at 2:09 pm
Should you ever find yourself running out of fuel on a street crowded with gas stations, you’ll be forced to make a spot decision about where to fill up your tank. But not all gas companies are created equal, and where you decide to pump can make a statement about your values. GOOD compiled statistics on five of the largest oil companies operating gas stations in the U.S., looking at where they get their oil, how much it costs, how much they make, and how willing they are to invest these profits in alternative energy. So the next time you pull up to the pump, you can fill up on the gas that’s right for you.
Company: Royal Dutch Shell
Brand(s): Shell
HQ: The Hague
Top countries it gets oil from: Mexico, Algeria, Ecuador, Nigeria, China
Average price per gallon: $2.35
CSR score: 6
2005 gross profit: $54.1 billion
2005 spending on alternative energy: Royal Dutch Shell says it has invested $1 billion to date in alternative energy, but would not disclose what it spends annually.
2005 spending on community reinvestment: $127 million figures are for all of
Royal Dutch Shell, not just Shell U.S.
Notes: A Dutch concern with a century-old pedigree, Shell has been dogged by allegations of environmental degradation, accounting discrepancies, the exaggeration of community reinvestment projects, and having turned Nigeria into the petroleum-bearing equivalent of a banana republic.
A good choice for… European playboys, Russian businessmen who can’t find a Lukoil, Borat
who drive… Acuras, leased BMWs
and listen to… Daft Punk
on the way to… some club’s VIP room.
Company: Exxon/Mobil
Brand(s): Exxon, Mobil, Esso
HQ: suburbs of Dallas, Texas
Top countries it gets oil from: Mexico, Canada, Angola, Saudi Arabia, Iraq
Average price per gallon: $2.36
CSR score: 3.7
2005 gross profit: $158 billion
2005 spending on alternative energy: Exxon/Mobil says it has spent $74 billion in the last five years “to expand energy supplies,” both renewable and nonrenewable, but would not provide a detailed breakdown.
2005 spending on community reinvestment: $132.8 million
61 percent in U.S.
Notes: Exxon has been linked with “catastrophic environmental disaster” ever since 1989, when the notorious Valdez tanker plowed into an Alaskan reef, dumping 11 million gallons of oil into the ocean. Exxon says it’s paid out $3 billion in cleaning bills and damages; lawyers are wrangling over $5 billion more. It is also the only U.S.-based energy giant not to provide benefits to same-sex couples.
A good choice for… chronographic-watch collectors, bottom-line watchers, seal clubbers
who drive… Hummers, Humvees, Air Force One
and listen to… Toby Keith
on the way to… balmy Caribbean tax shelters
Company: BP
Brand(s): BP, Arco, Aral
HQ: London, U.K.
Top countries it gets oil from: Canada, Iraq, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Angola
Average price per gallon: $2.36
CSR score:6.8
2005 gross profit:$57 billion
2005 spending on alternative energy: ~$600 million
2005 spending on community reinvestment: $95.5 million
61 percent in U.S.
Notes: BP was the original blood-for-oil company, pumping black gold out of the Middle East and leaving a series of wars and deposed governments in its wake. While some may be unimpressed by its recent brand makeover, the company’s transparent and thorough self-reporting of alternative energy and social responsibility efforts are for real.
A good choice for… Whole Foods-shopping yoga moms, DiCaprio, other Hollywood types
who drive… Priuses
and listen to… Wico
on the way to… a macrobiotic potluck
Company: Citgo (The U.S. subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela)
Brand(s): citgo
HQ: Houston, Texas(and Caracas, Venezuela)
Top countries it gets oil from: Venezuela, Mexico, Brazil, Algeria, Ecuador
Average price per gallon: $2.38
CSR score: Not ranked
2005 gross profit: Citgo made $730 million in net profit annually but would not disclose its gross.
2005 spending on alternative energy: ~$167 million
2005 spending on community reinvestment: $30 million figures are for Citgo, not for all of Petróleos de Venezuela, 61 percent in U.S.
Notes: Citgo is controlled by Hugo Chavez, the swaggering president of Venezuela. After donating discounted heating oil to low-income families on the U.S. East Coast, Chavez called George W. Bush “the devil” before the U.N. General Assembly, a tirade that won applause from the assembled, rhetorical membership in the Axis of Evil, and the end of Citgo’s 20-year relationship with 7-Eleven.
A good choice for… granola-eating Nation readers with smug bumper stickers
who drive… Dad’s Volvo
and listen to… Rage Against the Machine
on the way to… Food Not Bombs
Company: Chevron
Brand(s): Chevron, Texaco, Caltex, Conoco, Standard Oil, Phillips 66, Union 76
HQ: San Ramon, California
Top countries it gets oil from: Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Ecuador, Angola, Iraq
Average price per gallon: $2.38
CSR score:4.3
2005 gross profit:$57.2 billion
2005 spending on alternative energy: ~$300 million
2005 spending on community reinvestment: $73.1 million 54 percent to North America
Notes: Born of the breakup of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company, Chevron gradually swallowed most of Gulf, Texaco, and Unocal, to become one of the world’s largest energy companies. While never suffering a major P.R. setback, Chevron has paid millions in penalties and settlements after allegations of pollution and the sexual harassment of employees.
A good choice for… Aunt Sally and Uncle Joe
who drive… a nondescript domestic sedan
and listen to… Oldies
on the way to… the Jersey Shore
DISCUSSION: 11 Comments
Informative and entertaining. Kudos.
Would love to hear your opinion on Australian petrol companies…
This piece would have been fine if it had confined itself to providing information about the oil companies. At best the vapid stereotypes about gasoline buyers is a waste of time. At worst it takes the space of valuable information you could have included in the piece. I don’t want glib; I want insightful.
Quite frankly, I enjoyed the “vapid stereotypes.” It brought a sense of humor to an otherwise dry and distressing subject. Thanks for the info and keep it coming.
Helpful information to see whare I want to spend my money. But on the way to doing ‘good’ resist the temptaion to label those with whom you disagree lest you become a Karl Rove disciple.
Why don’t you quite wasting your time being such a wet blanket and go read about how to get a sense of humor!
I think that the attempted humor in this piece was out of place and forced. Good Magazine is asking for feedback, so I gave them mine.
I’m not sure why that offends you so much.
I’d like to point out that BP has not done right by its employees in the realm of workplace safety. Management failed to focus on process safety at its US refinery operations and its safety culture is dismal. The result was a March ‘05 explosion at its Texas City, TX refinery that killed 15 and injured 170. To make matters worse, the company at first blamed the workers for the accident and did not take responsibility.
Like aa1, I too found the stereotypes refreshing, a nice touch to the tone of the article. While a serious topic, it’s important to be able to laugh, too. Sometimes not being PC is alright.
Haha, I didn’t know that Hugo Chavez headed up Citgo. While I don’t think–as he does– that he is the next Simon Bolivar, I give him props for being cheeky in his relations with the U.S. I’d like to know more about BP’s about-face, what prompted it, and if their past motley ethical record has been ameliorated in the new alternative energy campaign. On Shell… I’d like to mention their connection with the execution of Nigerian author/activist Ken Saro-Wiwa in 1996. Saro-Wiwa, a member of the Ogoni tribe, and others loudly protested Shell’s pollution of the Niger Delta, an important natural resource for the tribe. The Nigerian government did Shell the favor of eliminating the troublesome nine. I’ll continue to boycott the company for that, and encourage others to do the same. Also, check out his controversial novel, Sozaboy!!
Loved it, but as a Canadian I didn’t recognize a lot of the gas stations covered!
Funny, I like it…but don’t love Chavez just because he thinks (knows?) Bush is the devil. Chavez isn’t quite “GOOD” in my book or I would think in this magazine.