Goodwill Hunting

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In 2003, two companies in the Manchester neighborhood, Valero Refining and Lyondell-Citgo, "ranked among the top dozen in the Houston area for accidental releases of air contaminants." But "the men and women who live there rarely complain," writes the Houston Chronicle, perhaps because of the "free car washes, donated computers, elementary school essay contests and Easter egg hunts" the companies sponsor. Valero's annual car wash "began in the late 1990s when the plant accidentally sent a plume of fine dust over the neighborhood's tiny, bungalow-filled streets." A Valero spokesperson said, "That's not a payoff, it's a gesture," but "community activists say the company handouts definitely influence how neighborhoods react when the plants' actions aren't so favorable."