Importance of Valero Refinery

The Valero Refinery is a major oil refinery that Ken walks past on the final steps of his journey. It symbolizes the vastness and power of the fossil fuel economy, as well as the corporations that support and perpetuate our society's dependence on fossil fuels. At the same time, Ken is impressed by Valero because it represents the incredible, impressive, and very difficult things that humans have been able to achieve. He subverts its image as a symbol of the oil economy and instead sees it as symbolic of human potential. He writes: "I was impressed, not because what we’ve done is good but because what we’ve done is amazing. As a member of this incredible species, I felt impressed, proud, and, most of all, hopeful. If we can do this, what else can we do?" (254). This attitude toward Valero suggests that if we were able to build something that impressive, we must surely be able to find a way to combat climate change.