Gasoline refinery expansions scaled back - AP

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Gasoline refinery expansions scaled back

By H. JOSEF HEBERT, Associated Press Writer
38 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - With Congress and the White House pushing to
increases the use of ethanol, the oil industry is scaling back
its plans to expand refineries — which could keep gasoline prices
high, possibly for years to come.

President Bush has called for a 20 percent decline in gasoline use
by 2017 and the Senate is debating legislation for huge increases
in the use of ethanol as a motor fuel. So, oil companies see a
growing uncertainty about future gasoline demand and less need
to increase refinery capacity to make more gasoline.

A shortage of refineries frequently has been blamed by politicians
for the sharp price spikes in gasoline.

This spring, refiners, hampered by outages, could not keep up with
demand and imports were down because of greater fuel demand in
Europe and elsewhere. Despite stable — even sometimes declining
— oil prices, gasoline prices soared to record levels and remain
well above $3 a gallon.

Consumer advocates maintain the oil industry likes it that way.

-snip-

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070617/ap_on_bi_ge/ethanol_refineries

[poverlay]

1. Damn green, enviromental terra-ists!!! n/t

[Captain Angry]

2. The subtitle of the story (and trend) should be.

Time to buy a bike, and move closer to where you work.

I say that as a non-bike owner. :-)

I just moved closer to where I work, and am getting the bike next. When you move from a place that has 2400 sq. ft. to one with 750, you find out that you have a lot of crap that you don't need. Once I donate/recycle all my old stuff, I'll have room for the bike.

[lfairban]

6. You might consider an e-bike.

I have had one for years, and I enjoy it immensely. The increased acceleration makes it a lot easier to mix with traffic.

I have collected some links, here:

http://home.columbus.rr.com/lfairban/Pages/Home%202000.html#Recreation_and_Sports

[Rageneau]

3. Let's pool our money and open a refinery.

Why the hell do we keep accepting the excuse that gas prices are high because of a lack of refinery capacity. WHY is there a lack of capacity? I understand why the oil companies don't want more refineries -- because they want to keep prices inflated. But why in the hell can't somebody else -- anybody else -- start building refineries to widen the 'bottleneck.'

IMHO, the US Government itself should be building refineries as a national security issue.

[Dogmudgeon]

4. This may be a Good Thing

The Oil Age is over. Better to plan for it now than to have it bite us in the ass all at once.

Actually, I do think we are doomed to have a major bite taken out of our economic rump, and probably soon. I do not blame the oil companies for this round of planning. We need to put some serious money into public transportation, microcars, and planned conservation. In the long view, we also need to dump the suburbs-and-supercities model and re-develop the small-town-and-small-city model of planning.

I don't like paying $3/gal for gas any more than anyone else. But an economic collapse would be a lot more painful.

--p!

[Javaman]

7. Oh it will still bite us in the ass all at once. :) just some will still be

able to get to work via other means. :)

[tinrobot]

5. Good.

Higher gas prices will spur conservation and hopefully help us break our gasoline addiction.