Wednesday, July 24, 2024

John B. Hess. The Who’s Who of Who’s That

 11 September 2016 Karlie is at the US Open with sketchy wealthy and elite people:





The Who’s Who of Who’s That

 

[I know you know these vignettes are meant to be scanned. We're just putting Karlie Kloss and Lily Donaldson into context (we're working toward that, anyway). Get a sense of the wealth, the connections, the sketchy deeds. We're working back to modeling, yacht girls, and then how that relates to Taylor's (possible, and sometimes alleged) ex-girlfriends]

John B. Hess

In Her [not a typo, queer venacular] Own Words:

 Hess claimed that their corporate policy has "long stressed" their "fundamental commitment to comply with applicable environment, health and safety laws and regulations," and they claimed to clean every spill that occurred.


Known for:

The dynasty has loomed large over the oil patch since 1933, when Leon Hess got tired of lugging bags of coal and started distributing heating oil. Walking in the footsteps of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil, he built a fuel-marketing business that covered the East Coast with Hess-branded gas stations. Amerada Hess, also known simply as Hess, is a family business. Amerada (an acronym of "America" and "Canada"). He also ran what was once the world’s largest refinery. By age 7, John Hess was being groomed for succession, accompanying his father to foreign oil outposts. During that period, Leon Hess, who served as a petroleum supply officer in World War II, built what became the world’s largest refinery in the U.S. Virgin Islands and merged the business with Amerada Petroleum to form Amerada Hess. In 1995, 40-year-old John Hess took over as CEO. He had learned the business from the ground up, pumping gas at 16 and joining the board in his early 20s. He studied at Harvard, where he was eager to learn about oil and geopolitics. As a Harvard undergraduate he studied in Beirut, became fluent in Arabic and Farsi, and later befriended Middle Eastern oil ministers. 


https://littlesis.org/person/1722-John_B_Hess

 

Hess will retire from his company roles and join the board of directors of Chevron.



Assets:

The enterprise was a throwback to the great family dynasties that propelled American industry, including the Rockefellers and the Gettys, and the luxury and glamour that accompanied them. Their oil empire afforded them the perks of outrageous wealth: private jets, Bahamian vacations, luxury real estate.


  • valued at approximately

    US$3.2 billion. Triton, one of the largest independent oil and

     

  • natural gas exploration and production

    companies in the United States, had earned a

     

  • reputation as a maverick oil company due to its highly

    successful yet potentially risky  
  • overseas exploration
  • unchecked

    With 2003 sales of about $14.3 billion.

  • unchecked

    As of 2004 the company's proven reserves totaled 646 million barrels of oil and

     

  • 2.3 billion cubic feet of

    natural gas. Hess owns 50 percent of a refinery it operates in

     
  • unchecked

    The Hess family was also known for its stoic ownership of the New York Jets,

     

  • which they sold in 2000. 

  • unchecked

    Hess Tower in downtown Houston

  • unchecked

    In April 2013, Hess Corp announced it would be selling its Russian unit to Lukoil

     

  • for $2.05 billion.

  • unchecked

    In July 2013, Hess Corp said it would sell its energy marketing unit to UK firm

     
  • unchecked

    In October 2013, Hess Corp announced plans to sell its East Coast and

     
  • unchecked

    In December 2013, Hess Corp announced that it was selling its Indonesian

     

  • assets to an Indonesian

    petroleum consortium.[25]
  • unchecked

    Speedway LLC announced on May 22, 2014, that it would acquire the retail

     

  • unit of Hess Corp for

    $2.87 billion.
  • unchecked

    in 2015, when Exxon announced an oil discovery off the shores of Guyana,

     

  • in South America.

    Hess had staked a 30% interest in the exploration project,

     

  • which was later estimated to hold about

    11 billion barrels

     of oil and gas, the  
  • largest modern oil find.
  • unchecked

    the Hesses suffered near-fatal business wounds over the years and decided

     

  • to spin off their prized

    retail segment. But they maintained a 9.5% stake in the

     

  • company, the value of which has soared to more

    than

    $4 billion—close to double  
  • what it was a decade ago.

  • $53 billion, concluding a

     

    90-year saga book ended by the gruff founding father

     

  • and his gregarious son, current Chief Executive

    John Hess. 
  • unchecked

    In June Hess Corp. announced it was selling half its assets in the Bakken

     

  • field to a private equity firm

    for nearly $2.7 billion.


 Rub Elbows with:

The following list was taken from publicly known boards that Hess is a part of. In the interest of keeping this somewhat manageable and readable scannable, I chose names I recognized, or important sounding titles that I already have knowledge about. Meaning, there are hundreds to thousands more direct contacts, some of which also have VIP titles such as inventor, or CEO, but I just wasn't familiar. When I tell you this kind of list had me believing in World Order or that garden where the wealthy, important people get debaucherous, I'm only partly kidding! This rolodex is wild!



Troubles/(Alleged) Crimes:

**I want to re-emphasize the alleged here.  I'm sharing what I found on the web, don't come at me.

  1. Selling Alcohol-

The defendants, Amerada Hess Corporation and Hess Mart Inc., have been charged with two counts of violating the Building Zone Ordinance of the Town of Hempstead. The defendants are alleged to have permitted the sale of alcoholic beverages on January 23, 2001 and on  February 13, 2001 in Westbury, Nassau County, New York. It is contended by the People that such retail sale was specifically prohibited by the covenants and restrictions affecting the Gasoline Service Station District property.

At issue is a Gasoline Service Station ("GSS") zoned property under the Town of Hempstead Building Zone Ordinance. Within this district, a gasoline service station may sell retail products other than gasoline, oil, grease and other petroleum products only "when specifically permitted by the Town Board. Amoco Oil Company (a previous tenant) had made an application to the Town Board for inclusion of the premises in the GSS district. The Declarant "for the best interests of itself and the Town of Hempstead", declared, among other items concerning hours, air pump, propane storage, curb cuts, storage, etc. that “with respect to the convenience  store on the subject premises, there shall be no sale of alcoholic beverages and video games or machines." The Declaration further provided that the covenants and restrictions could be amended only after a public hearing with notice and the consent of the then-owner and the Town Board. 

Notwithstanding the Town's acceptance of the restrictive covenants in approving the GSS status, a New York State Liquor Authority Grocery Chain Wine Product license was issued to the defendant Hess Mart Inc. for the premises and for the period covering August 22, 2000 through May 31, 2003.

Mr. Rocco, a building inspector for eight years, testified that he went to the premises on January 23, 2001 after receiving a complaint from the Town Clerk's office that the defendant was selling alcoholic beverages at the premises. Mr. Rocco testified that he entered the premises and saw beer such as Budweiser in refrigerated display cases and stacked on the floor. Signs were displayed indicating the types of beer and their prices. He then spoke to the manager, Shirley Dunkley, and explained that pursuant to a restrictive covenant, no alcohol was permitted to be sold there. He requested the manager to remove the beer, then issued the summons herein and left the premises.

On February 13, 2001, Mr. Rocco revisited the premises, again pursuant to a complaint from the Town Clerk's office that alcoholic beverages were being sold. When he arrived around 11 a.m., he again saw beer in display cases. He issued another summons to the cashier. It is conceded that the Code Enforcement Officer neither purchased any beer nor did he see anyone drinking alcoholic beverages.

It is well established that a municipality may not regulate the sale of alcoholic beverages. However, recognizing the foregoing, the Court is faced with deciding a straightforward question here — is the defendant guilty of a criminal action for violating the Building Zone Ordinance with respect to the sale of alcoholic beverages for which it was duly licensed? Can this defendant be found guilty of violating a Town ordinance that prohibits the sale of alcohol indirectly by enforcing the restrictive covenants (the sale of alcohol) incorporated in the Town's GSS permit, notwithstanding the State granting a license to sell beer to the same defendant?

However, the law has long favored free and unencumbered use of real property, and covenants restricting use are strictly construed against those seeking to enforce them. when examined at its core, the ordinance at question here cannot prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages. it is the opinion of the Court that the covenant against selling alcoholic beverages is pre-empted by New York State law. The restriction which is authorized by the Building Zone Ordinance is an attempt to regulate the operation of the defendant's business and is unenforceable. 

TLDR: The gas station was sued for continuing to sell alcohol even though the initial purpose signed a contract saying alcohol sales were prohibited. The town didn't want alcohol sales but NY law supercedes any covenant.


  2. 2. Tax Shenanigans-

On January 8, 2014, Hess filed for a tax-free spin-off of its gas station network. The newly formed company was to be known as Hess Retail and would include over 1,200 stores throughout the Eastern United States.


  2. 3. Energy Sector/Environmental Crimes-

Put a pin in this one–it deserves it’s own post.



4. Energy Violations-

The agreement addressed more than 100 violations at 65 gas stations and Hess's Brooklyn major oil storage facility. The agreement was aimed at resolving Hess's violations in the DEC's New York City and lower Hudson Valley regions.[36]


5. Kerosene Spill-

  On October 28, 1990, The New York Times reported that a barge containing 31,000 barrels (4,900 m3) of kerosene struck a reef in the Hudson River, spilling 163,000 US gallons (620 m3) of fuel.[33] Immediately, Hess assumed responsibility for the cleanup; the Coast Guard worked alongside the Red Star company to clean and to contain the spill to one area. According to The New York Times, Mr. Holmes also said that 70 percent of the spill would be gone in three days due to the natural evaporation rate of kerosene. Even though most kerosene evaporates, toxic chemicals such as benzene stay in the water and harm certain fish.


6. Water Contamination-

    In a recent water contamination case, the Hess Corporation was forced to pay part of a $422 million settlement. The case was filed by 153 public water providers in 17 states against the oil companies "over drinking water contamination caused by the gasoline additive Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE)." 


7. Anti-Trust Lawsuit-

        In January 2024, a class action lawsuit was filed accusing Hess, along with seven other US oil and gas producers, of an illegal price-fixing scheme to constrain production of shale oil that led to drivers in the US paying more for gasoline than they would have in a competitive market.[40]


 +/- 8. Board Memberships-

***I take some of these as shady. You might have a different interpretation. Decide for yourself.


Deerfield Academy An independent, co-ed boarding school in Western Massachusetts, 

founded in 1797.

David Koch Billionaire industrialist is listed on their page as he helped fund this vast 

conservative, libertarian [their words] political operation

Donation · 25,000,000 USD ('03)*


The Rest are pretty self-explanatory-



9. Political Donations/Lobbying-

        We can all agree the rich shouldn’t decide our politics, right? This category is solidly shady. 

So, so many and under many entities.  I couldn’t put all of them for space so I plucked out ones I found  

interesting.  Check out the website for an exhaustive list:


https://littlesis.org/org/283524-Hess_International_Limited/giving



 

And some lower tier donations-

(Gov. Chris Christie, the New Jersey Republican launched a long anticipated political action committee that will help him travel the country and try to sell his Republican brand ahead of the next presidential election).

Right To Rise PAC 5k (Founded by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, the mission of the Right to Rise PAC is to support candidates who share our conservative vision)


Ameliorations:

Is is a punishment? Yeah, sure. Is there net benefit, umm, OK. So I added these, but feel free to give a lot of side eye.

  • Following a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) agreement, the Hess Corporation would pay $1.1 million in fines and also "bring 65 gasoline stations and oil storage facilities into compliance with state requirements." 
  • The settlement of the MTBE water contamination case also stipulated that the settling parties pay their share of treatment costs of the plaintiff's wells that may become contaminated or require treatment for the next 30 years.[37]
  • Hess outlined in their 2006 Corporate Sustainability Report a "four-element" strategy to reduce and control greenhouse gas emissions. The strategy's steps included monitoring, measuring, managing, and mitigating the emissions. The company intended to improve its environmental impact through reporting results, increasing energy efficiency and recovery, and participating in carbon capture and trading.[38] 

Philanthropy-


  • Hess Foundation:  Emphasis on higher education and the arts; grants also for hospitals, synagogues, and human services

  • The Hess Corporation, a global energy company, has joined with the Republic of Equatorial Guinea to fund a $40 million education initiative in the West African country. The company and Equatorial Guinea will each commit $20 million over the next five years for a program designed to strengthen the country's elementary and secondary education system through teacher training, new learning initiatives, and infrastructure development. 

  • In 2020, Hess donated $12.5 million to the Salk Institute’s Harnessing Plants Initiative to accelerate development of plant-based carbon capture and storage. Since then, the HPI team has made numerous advances in enhancing desired plant traits, including deeper rooting and the ability to sequester carbon, and is rapidly scaling discoveries from laboratory to greenhouse to field.

  • In 2021, Hess donated $3 million to establish the endowed Hess Chair in Plant Science at Salk.

  • In December 2022, the company was added to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index.[39]

  • In 2013, John B. Hess, CEO of the Hess Corporation, and the son of Leon Hess , gave $250,000 to the Republican Governors Association; $30,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee; among other contributions.

  • Apr. 3, 2023-- Hess Corporation (NYSE: HES) today announced that it will donate $50 million over the next five years to the Salk Institute’s Harnessing Plants Initiative (HPI), which aims to combat climate change by developing plants’ natural ability to capture and store potentially billions of tons of carbon per year from the atmosphere. These funds will support HPI’s work including faculty recruitment as well as laboratory and research operations and also provide vital infrastructure by establishing the new Hess Center for Plant Science.



Sources:













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