Valero abruptly shut down its Benicia, California oil refinery — as the state’s already sky-high gas prices are likely to soar higher amid a spiraling “oil crisis,” a new report said. The Benicia refinery began shutting down on Sunday, four months earlier than planned, a former Valero manager told the California Globe Tuesday. Thermal imaging showing the facility went cold as the Crimson Pipeline – which transports crude oil from Southern to Northern California – was also taken offline, “We are