What with the BP PLC oil spill, the soaring price of gasoline and the controversy surrounding domestic energy production in general, Citgo Petroleum Corp. General Counsel Dean Hasseman is living in interesting times. Citgo, a refiner, marketer and transporter of petroleum products, sells gasoline exclusively through its distributors to about 6,500 Citgo-branded stations, mostly east of the Rocky Mountains.
Despite the shock the BP spill dealt to the petroleum industry, Citgo emerged unscathed. Its three refineries — in Lake Charles, La. (the fourth largest in the United States); Corpus Christi, Texas; and Lemont, Ill. — were not affected by the administration ban on drilling in the Gulf, Hasseman said. “The BP spill never impaired access to our wells,” he said.
