posted
All the so called financial wizzards, particularly those in or with connections to the White House or the RNC are dutifully campaining to convince us that the evil public has prevented the Giants of the oh so very benovalent Oil Industry from building more refineries and that is the reason for the vast increases in the pirce of fuel oil and gasoline.
Why then, have those Giants, in the last thirty years, closed more refineries than several times the number that are now in operation? They had the land and locations for that use and the working refineries that they choose to shut down and abandon.
Why can't those same financial wizzards that are filling every possible second of our day and our night with the claim that it is our fault that the Giants only run the refineries part time and at partial capacity also remind us that one of the mosts critical energy concerns that was to be addressed by Bush's secret Energy Panel was the absolute need for increased refinerry capacity, , for both the financial and the military security of the Country?
When, with unvarnished coersion from the republican party to give the Giants (of both oil and electricity) absolute FREE MARKET command of our Nation's energy profile, did we grant forever this Country's subserviance to them? (It has gotten us these absurdly high prices for gas and oil; earger ingnoring of probably the greatest danger ever to humankind, global warming; the Enron price fixing scandle; and the collapse of Enron, for just a couple or three examples.)
It's time to reclaim our Country!
(and a little pride)
Posts: 11304 | From: Fort Worth, Texas | Registered: Mar 2005
| IP: Logged |
CONTACT: Jamie Court (310) 392-0522 ext 327 or Tim Hamilton (360) 495-4941 Internal Memos Show Oil Companies Intentionally Limited Refining Capacity To Drive Up Gasoline Prices
Santa Monica, CA -- The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR) today exposed internal oil company memos that show how the industry intentionally reduced domestic refining capacity to drive up profits. The exposure comes in the wake of Hurricane Katrina as the oil industry blames environmental regulation for limiting number of U.S. refineries. The three internal memos from Mobil, Chevron, and Texaco (Click here to read the memos.) show different ways the oil giants closed down refining capacity and drove independent refiners out of business. The confidential memos demonstrate a nationwide effort by American Petroleum Institute, the lobbying and research arm of the oil industry, to encourage the major refiners to close their refineries in the mid-1990s in order to raise the price at the pump. It's now obvious to most Americans that we have a refinery shortage," said petroleum consultant Tim Hamilton, who authored a recent report about oil company price gouging for FTCR. (Click here to read the report.) "To point to the environmental laws as the cause simply misses the fact that it was the major oil companies, not the environmental groups, that used the regulatory process to create artificial shortages and limit competition."
The memos from Mobil, Chevron and Texaco show the following:
* An internal 1996 memorandum from Mobil demonstrates the oil company's successful strategies to keep smaller refiner Powerine from reopening its California refinery. The document makes it clear that much of the hardships created by California's regulations governing refineries came at the urging of the major oil companies and not the environmental organizations blamed by the industry. The other alternative plan discussed in the event Powerine did open the refinery was "... buying all their avails and marketing it ourselves" to insure the lower price fuel didn't get into the market. Click here to read the Mobil memo.
* An internal Chevron memo states; "A senior energy analyst at the recent API convention warned that if the US petroleum industry doesn't reduce its refining capacity it will never see any substantial increase in refinery margins." It then discussed how major refiners were closing down their refineries. Click here to read the Chevron memo.
* The Texaco memo disclosed how the industry believed in the mid-1990s that "the most critical factor facing the refining industry on the West Coast is the surplus of refining capacity, and the surplus gasoline production capacity. (The same situation exists for the entire U.S. refining industry.) Supply significantly exceeds demand year-round. This results in very poor refinery margins and very poor refinery financial results. Significant events need to occur to assist in reducing supplies and/or increasing the demand for gasoline. One example of a significant event would be the elimination of mandates for oxygenate addition to gasoline. Given a choice, oxygenate usage would go down, and gasoline supplies would go down accordingly. (Much effort is being exerted to see this happen in the Pacific Northwest.)" As a result of such pressure, Washington State eliminated the ethanol mandate -- requiring greater quantities of refined supply to fill the gasoline volume occupied by ethanol. Click here to read the Texaco memo.
posted
Board says valve position at heart of refinery explosion
By Bill Donovan Staff Writer
Thursday October 27, 2005
GALLUP — An explosion that shut down the Giant Refinery east of Gallup for more than a month and sent six employees to the hospital was caused by a valve pointed in the wrong direction.
The explosion and fire, which occurred on April 8, 2004, affected only one section of the refinery, but Giant officials closed down the entire operation while repairs were made. Several weeks after the refinery was reopened at least two employees were terminated, but company officials never said that the firings were because of the explosion.
Board officials said that the valve had been repaired some 23 times by the company and what the crew thought was a closed position was not. The valve was actually open and after they began work to remove the alkylate, a loud roar that was heard all over the refinery occurred.
posted
I work in Home Health as an RN and I travel 110 - 120 miles per day. My company does give us 39 per mile, which helps. Every time I fill up I get nauseated. AND it will get worse.
Posts: 1178 | From: Mobile, AL | Registered: Aug 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
WASHINGTON (May 23) - The House of Representatives, eager to do something about record high U.S. gasoline prices in advance of a holiday weekend, voted narrowly Wednesday to approve stiff penalties for those found guilty of price gouging .
The House decided Tuesday to ask members of its conference committee on a tax collections bill to work to get a gas tax holiday into the final compromise on the legislation.
Earlier this month the House overwhelmingly voted to suspend the state's 20-cent gas tax through the summer months. That would mean an immediate 20-cent drop in the price per gallon. But the Senate took that language out of the bill.
Legislators from the two chambers will now attempt to reach an agreement.
The fuel tax reduction could cost the state up to $700 million over the three-month period.
Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, a San Antonio Democrat who proposed the gas tax relief, reminded House members of the current $3-per-gallon gasoline prices.
posted
Still, no one speaks of the Bush/Chaney Energy Committee failing to make any effort toward the problem of Big Oil closing down or decreasing the output of refineries, or even any mention of the problem, let alone some proposal or plan to compensate for it.
Why?
Posts: 11304 | From: Fort Worth, Texas | Registered: Mar 2005
| IP: Logged |
personally, am pretty quickly gonna start quoting jobs as labor/materials...PLUS one-half fuel charge for as long as I'm on the job. Have no idea how that will be received, but I'm gonna run it up the flag-pole...
posted
Tex..Most of the contractors I know have been doing just that for some time now...calling it a fuel surcharge.
It has been received with some resistance, but, a fuel surcharge is very easy to justify...simply ask them "how long they could stay in business, if they didn't raise their prices in conjunction with their costs"...
Not good for anyone, (except the oil companies) but, fair to both you and your customer.
-------------------- ***********************
It's all in the timing... Posts: 4303 | From: DSA | Registered: Dec 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Tex, you are going to have to get a bicycle with a cart, i will loan you my old chicken power motor that you can attach to the front of the bicycle. Gas here is only $1.50 a gallon or cheaper, depending how you get it. Posts: 3875 | From: ca. | Registered: Jul 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Why is it that the mentally skewed and mentally limited MUST prove it over and over?
Maybe there is there some genetic predisposition to do so and evolution has enabled the normal mind to keep his mouth shut?
Most villiage idiots, even, learn to, sort of, just grin and wave and not carry on and on and constantly prove they are deficient.
Posts: 11304 | From: Fort Worth, Texas | Registered: Mar 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
I liked the gin/gasoline comparison but the rest is flawed logic based off an old hypothesis that does not account for current and future technology advances. Oil may be at or nearing peak but it isn't about to destroy the world. It is about to destroy the shackles of the current energy grid. And uranium will play a very small role in that indeed.
Just wait and watch...you'll see.
-------------------- No longer eligible for government service due to lack of tax issues. Posts: 5178 | From: Up North | Registered: Dec 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Neither The Peak Oil Hypothesis nor it's negation are based on any thing but opinion and often the opinion is one in which the stater has an agenda.
It is obvious that there is, at least in foreseable human existance, no way of renewing petroleum suppiles.
It is also obvious that we are comming close to that point when oid supplies will be well under the demand.
That is, if fossil fuels remain a principle energy sources for the human race.
Considering the probable lack of a future for humans if we do not curtail global warming, I think the push throughout the world to develop energy sources, that are not dependent on fossil fuels, are not destructive to the ozone layer, and are not great potential green house gasses will cause governments to fund massive research programs directed to that end. I believe they will be successful and I believe, in the long run, it will bring down the cost of transportation and heating and cooling and whatever other needs we have for energy.
I think a collection of energy sources will come from those efforts. My personal candidate among the many posibilities is hydrogen, both as a direct fuel and to feed fuel cells to make electricity.
Diversity!
Posts: 11304 | From: Fort Worth, Texas | Registered: Mar 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Poor MM, stuck in his 18th century approach to finance, mired in 16 century science, and trapped in a religious vortex.
Somehow, MM's last several post keep reminding of Ann Richards',
"Poooooor George, he was born with a silver foot in his mouth.",
and, the classic,
"Blessed are those who go round in circles, for they shall be known as wheels."
Posts: 11304 | From: Fort Worth, Texas | Registered: Mar 2005
| IP: Logged |
The owner of Towne Market Mobil in this suburb north of Milwaukee shut down his pumps for 24 hours, hoping to start a movement aimed at persuading oil companies to lower their prices.
"Somebody out there is making money at these prices, but not me," said Pollack, 57. "So I just thought: What can I do to help the consumer?"
Hurricane season is here and we are being warned on the first day..June1 news announcers state to be prepared for an increase should the gulf producers have to shut down...this is obvious but putting it on the news on Sat. morning and watching the prices go up this morning in town.. is simply riduculous.
Posts: 1102 | From: Sometimes Honolulu, Sometimes Laguna Beach, today in the Valley | Registered: Aug 2006
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by dinner42: 3.66 for reg here...
Hurricane season is here and we are being warned on the first day..June1 news announcers state to be prepared for an increase should the gulf producers have to shut down...this is obvious but putting it on the news on Sat. morning and watching the prices go up this morning in town.. is simply riduculous.
Look at the bright side.
This may very well make the Munchkin Man's hurricane stocks go up.
Best Wishes,
Munchkin Man
Posts: 558 | From: Munchkin Man | Registered: Jun 2006
| IP: Logged |
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
