Washington, DC - Attorney General Robert J. Spagnoletti announced today that the District and the Attorneys General of 27 states have signed an agreement with Chevron Products Company, one of the nation's largest oil companies and convenience retailers. Under the agreement, Chevron will implement new procedures to reduce sales of cigarettes to minors.

With approximately 9,100 retail outlets in 32 states and the District of Columbia, Chevron sells gasoline under both the Chevron and Texaco brand names. In the District, there are five Chevron-franchisee outlets and no Chevron-owned outlets.

"Every day we keep a child from smoking is a public health victory. With this agreement, Chevron joins the growing list of retailers who have demonstrated their commitment to keeping our kids healthy in the District and across the country," said General Spagnoletti.

The Chevron "Assurance of Voluntary Compliance" is the tenth such agreement produced by an ongoing, multistate enforcement effort. Previous agreements cover all 7-Eleven, CVS, Wal-Mart, Walgreens and Rite Aid stores, and all gas stations and convenience stores operating under the Conoco, Phillips 66 or 76, Exxon, Mobil, BP, Amoco and ARCO brand names, in the signing jurisdictions. Combined, the agreements cover nearly 70,000 retail outlets across the nation. Launched in 2000, the multistate enforcement effort by the attorneys general seeks to secure national retailers' agreement to take specific corrective actions to prevent sales of tobacco products to minors. Although District of Columbia and state laws already prohibit such sales, the agreements incorporate "best practices" for retailers to reduce the potential for sales to minors, and were developed by the attorneys general in consultation with researchers and state and federal tobacco control officials.