Many Pittsburgh residents grieved last year when Californiabased Chevron bought Gulf, which made its home in the Pennsylvania city. The purchase wounded Pittsburgh's pride, and stands to cost it more than 2,000 jobs as Chevron shuts offices and shifts employees to other U.S. locations. In all, Pittsburgh Mayor Richard Caliguiri estimates that the Chevron-Gulf merger will result in the loss of nearly $75 million in income for residents of the area.
Chevron last week presented the Pittsburgh community with something in return. The giant oil company (1984 revenues: $27.8 billion) said it will donate the 85-acre Gulf research laboratories in nearby...