The first sighting of oil in Texas happened centuries before Spindletop. Spanish explorers saw oil floating on the surface of Gulf waters along the upper Texas coast in 1543. A handful of accidental oil discoveries followed until the first economically significant oilfield was found in 1894 near Corsicana. It wasn’t until “black gold” spilled out of an oilfield called Spindletop just south of Beaumont in 1901 that Texas had a bona fide oil boom. Today, Texas is a national and global leader in Petroleum Refining and Chemical Products.
Gov. Rick Perry identified Petroleum Refining and Chemical Products as one of six industry clusters in his long-term, strategic job creation plan announced in 2004. Each cluster was selected because of its powerful potential for future economic growth.
Petroleum Refining
Texas is the nation's No. 1 producer of oil and gas, refined products and chemicals, and natural gas, as well as a global leader in oil and gas production. The Lone Star State also leads the nation in natural gas reserves and production, representing three-tenths of total U.S. supply. Texas crude oil reserves represent almost one-fourth of the U.S. total, and Texas natural gas reserves account for over three-tenths of the U.S. total.
Texas is home to 27 operating refineries that process more than 4.7 million barrels of crude oil per day, accounting for more than one-fourth of total U.S. refining capacity. This processing is primarily carried out in the state's Gulf Coast refineries, which is the nation's largest refining center. Texas refineries process many crude oil types from around the world. The state's signature crude oil, known as West Texas Intermediate, remains the major benchmark of crude oil in the Americas.
Texas refineries are working hard to reduce refinery emissions and meet air quality needs by producing a variety of differing grades of lower-emitting fuels and gasoline blends, some incorporating ethanol.
Major Texas-based petroleum industry employers include ExxonMobil, El Paso Corp., Conoco Phillips Refinery, Shell Oil, and Valero.
Chemical Products
Texas is the nation’s largest chemicals producer. The Gulf Coast complex of chemical plants and refineries is the largest petrochemical complex in the world, and home to more than 200 chemical plants. These plants produce the basic chemicals used across many other industries, as well as plastics and resins.
Major Texas-based chemicals industry employers include BP, Dow Chemical, DuPont, ExxonMobil, Huntsman, and PPG Industries.
Texas Plastics Company Directory
