Valero Energy Corp, the second-largest U.S. oil refiner, is seeking Washington's permission to import Venezuelan crude, according to four people close to the matter, hoping for a repeat of the approval granted to Chevron Corp in November after a four-year ban.
President Joe Biden's administration has eased some U.S. sanctions on the OPEC-member nation in an effort to encourage a political dialogue with the country's opposition. That has led to further pressure from U.S., European and Asian energy firms, but Washington has resisted any additional major steps for now.
Venezuelan oil resumed flowing to the U.S. in January under a Treasury Department license granted to Chevron that allowed it to expand output there and export the oil. Refiners including Valero and Phillips 66 have bought cargoes from Chevron, according to U.S. Customs and shipping data.
The Chevron decision came as part of negotiations for humanitarian aid and a presidential election. But efforts to fund the aid by releasing Venezuela's frozen money abroad have stalled and no new talks have been scheduled since that time.
