Exhibit 99

NEWS RELEASE

THE PREMCOR REFINING GROUP INC.
Premier People,
Products and Services

8182 Maryland Avenue
Suite 600
St. Louis, Missouri 63105
314-854-9696
314-854-1580 fax

Contact:
Jim Joyce
Vice President, Corporate Communications
(314) 854-1496
jim.joyce@premcor.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    Premcor Retains CS First Boston and The Blackstone Group L.P. As Financial
                                    Advisers


     St. Louis, April 10, 2001 - Premcor Inc., the sixth largest independent
refiner in the United States, announced today that it has retained investment
bankers Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) and The Blackstone Group L.P. to serve
as its financial advisers to assist the company in its review of alternatives to
maximize the value of the company. No assurance can be given that this review
will result in any specific transaction. The company does not expect to make any
further announcements regarding its review until the process is completed.

     "Since Blackstone Capital Partners' acquisition of a controlling interest
in the company in 1997, we have completed several key initiatives which have
transformed the company into a significant competitor in the refining sector,"
said William Rusnack, Premcor's president and chief executive officer. "With the
completion of these strategic initiatives, Premcor's shareholders and its
management believe it to be an appropriate time to evaluate alternatives to
maximize value of the company."

     Premcor Inc. is based in St. Louis and through its principal operating
subsidiaries, The Premcor Refining Group Inc. and Port Arthur Coker Company L.P,
operates three refineries in the central United States with 490,000 barrels per
day of total crude throughput capacity. Premcor Inc.'s primary shareholders are
affiliates of The Blackstone Group and Occidental Petroleum.

     This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning
of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including Premcor
Inc.'s current expectations with respect to its review of alternatives to
maximize the value of the company. Words such as "expects," "intends," "plans,"
"projects," "believes," "estimates," "may," "will," "should," "shall," and
similar expressions typically identify such forward-looking statements. Even
though Premcor Inc. believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking
statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that
its expectations will be attained. Factors that could cause actual results to
differ materially from expectations include, but are not limited to, operational
difficulties, varying market conditions, government regulations and other
factors contained from time to time in the reports filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission by Sabine River Holding Corp., Premcor USA Inc. and The
Premcor Refining Group Inc., including quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, reports
on Form 8-K, and annual reports on Form 10-K.

For further information, please visit us on the worldwide web at
www.premcor.com.