Exxon Mobil shuts biggest US refinery

[Earth_First]

Sep 22, 2005 — NEW YORK (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil on Thursday told Texas regulators it was shutting its Baytown, Texas oil refinery which at 557,000 barrels per day is the largest refinery in the United States.

"Shutdown of Baytown refinery operating units in preparation for Hurricane Rita," Exxon reported to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

An Exxon Mobil spokesman on Thursday morning said he could not confirm that the plant was shut.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=1148924


With Baytown being a Houston costal suburb, this cannot be good.

[dhinojosa]

1. I filled up yesterday

I am going to ask my girlfriend to telecommute

[dhinojosa]

2. Im going to kick because I surprised no other comments have been made

[Dave Reynolds]

3. The price is on it's way up in my neck of the woods today,

a 20 cent jump in less than 2 hours.

I see $4 a gallon out of this one, if not higher.

[barb162]

4. I don't see how it won't be 5 bucks soon with this many refineries

and off shore rigs out of commission

[joeunderdog]

6. Especially if you want to break last quarter's profit records.

This is like the California black/brownout. Just part of the plan to limit supply in maximize profit.

The proof is in the numbers. Most businesses lose money if they have catastrophes hitting their factories. Not Oil. Just the opposite. Until Bush, gasoline has never moved more than a nickel on the basis of a storm or refinery issue. They're playing this for all it's worth.

[mrbill]

11. bingo, somebody else gets it...............

Just for fun assume 200,000 cars leaving Houston for Dallas in the world's largest traffic jam. What, 20 gallons per vehicle average. That's four million gallons slightly pissed away. That's the output of a few big ass refineries.

These oil guys can't lose.

$2.50 per gallon will be the good old days. Enron was just the beginning.

[CabalPowered]

5. Good interactive map of rigs in Rita's path >>

http://gom.rigzone.com/rita.asp

[Skink]

7. Ironically retail sales in San Antonio which were sluggish due...

to gas prices in recent weeks are about to go throught the roof. La Cantera shopping center arguably Texas's most high scale mall just opened here and people from all around the state are flocking here to see it. Now with all roads leading trough San Antonio business will be unbelievable.

[Ilsa]

8. Couldn't confirm? Yeah, right.

I bet he called the refinery and no one answered.

Or he couldn't get through because "all circuits are busy," which is what the rest of us have been putting up with for the last three days.

[anotherdrew]

9. hmmm look at this...

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Baytown,+Texas&ll=29.693123,-94.923592&spn=0.135856,0.208903&hl=en

the refinery is just a few miles west and a bit north of texas's beautiful "Negro Lake"

[Busshianic]

10. Yeeehaw! Let the Looting begin!