Occidental Petroleum Corporation

Occidental Petroleum Corporation ("Oxy") {{nyse|OXY}} is an international petroleum exploration and development company headquartered in the Westwood district of Los Angeles.

Related Topics:
Occidental Petroleum Corporation - Petroleum - Westwood - Los Angeles

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It has also had interests in other forms of energy such as coal, and the production of other minerals such as phosphates.

Related Topics:
Coal - Phosphate

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

For many years it was headed by the late Armand Hammer, who was noted for his long-term friendly relationship with the Soviet Union, which has made the company controversial. Its coal interests were represented for many years by attorney and former U.S. Senator Albert Gore, Sr., among others. Gore, who had a long-time close friendship with Hammer, became the head of its subsidiary Island Creek Coal Company upon his (forced) retirement from the Senate. Much of Oxy's coal and phosphate production was from Tennessee, the state Gore represented in the Senate, and Gore owned shares of stock in the company, which are now controlled by his son, former Vice President Albert Gore, Jr.. This relationship was also alleged to have been the basis of the leasing of the mineral rights to the Gore family farm in Smith County, Tennessee; however it must be noted that this region has long been noted for the production of zinc and the Gores are hardly alone in having the mineral rights to their property thusly leased.

Related Topics:
Armand Hammer - Soviet Union - Attorney - U.S. Senator - Albert Gore, Sr. - Senate - Tennessee - Vice President - Albert Gore, Jr. - Mineral rights - Smith County, Tennessee - Zinc

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On 6 July 1988 Occidentals Alpha offshore production platform in the Piper oifield in the North Sea exploded after a gas leak killing 167 workers.

Related Topics:
6 July - 1988 - Alpha - North Sea

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

From 1992 to 2001, Occidental Petroleum incurred substantial resistance in its attempts to drill for oil in the territory of the U'wa people in northeast Colombia. After years of shareholder resolutions, legal battles, extensive civil disobedience and a failed test well, the company abandoned the project, now being continued by Repsol.

Related Topics:
U'wa people - Colombia - Repsol

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 2005, Occidental Petroleum and partner Liwa won eight out of fifteen exploration spots on the EPSA-4 auction, making both companies among the first to enter the Libyan market since the United States lifted its embargo on that country. In August of the same year, mass indigenous protests in northeast Ecuador called for the withdrawal of Occidental from the country.

Related Topics:
2005 - Liwa - EPSA-4 - Libya - United States

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~