Chevron Corp. announced plans on Friday to relocate its headquarters from San Ramon, California, to Houston.
“Chevron Chairman and CEO, Mike Wirth, and Vice Chairman, Mark Nelson, will move to Houston before the end of 2024 to co-locate with other senior leaders and enable better collaboration and engagement with executives, employees, and business partners,” the company statement read.
The company expects all corporate functions to migrate to Houston over the next five years while support for its California operations will remain in San Ramon.
Chevron has roughly 7,000 employees in the Houston area and approximately 2,000 employees in San Ramon.
While Chevron did not officially announce a reason for the move beyond “better collaboration,” Fox 4 News reported that “California sued Chevron and other large oil companies last year, claiming that they misled the public about the risks of fossil fuels, the extraction of use of which are a leading cause of climate change.”
A new ballot initiative will also allow California voters in November to decide on a proposal to charge Chevron an additional tax for its refinery in Richmond, north of San Francisco.
While supporters of the initiative say that “big companies and polluters like Chevron aren’t paying their fair share, and causing millions in health care bills for Richmond residents,” Chevron reportedly countered that proposal, noting its strong,100-year relationship with Richmond.
In reaction to Chevron’s announcement, Gov. Greg Abbott said on X, “WELCOME HOME Chevron! Texas is your true home. Drill baby drill.”
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) also praised the company’s plans. “Welcome to Texas! @Chevron will find a state that loves energy, loves freedom & loves jobs! Chevron leaving California ‘following clashes with authorities over climate policies and penalties it has said render California ‘closed for business.'”
Earlier this month, tech billionaire Elon Musk announced his decision to relocate SpaceX headquarters from Hawthorne, California, to Starbase, Texas, due to California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s policies attacking parental rights.
In a social media post in mid-July, Musk said, “I did make it clear to Governor Newsom about a year ago that laws of this nature would force families and companies to leave California to protect their children.”
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