SPR releases cannot be the center of this Administration’s strategy to confront inflation and high energy prices. At best, SPR releases are a short-term fix, they are not a solution. Stability and certainty is what global crude oil markets crave.
Boyd Stephenson, senior vice president of government affairs and counsel at the National Tank Truck Carriers (NTTC), joins the podcast to discuss the trucking industry and US highway infrastructure.
Publicly owned companies, like many U.S. refineries, have a fiduciary responsibility (which is a legal obligation) to act in the best interest of their shareholders, and that extends to how companies spend their earnings. Often, earnings are spent on a combination of the following: direct dividends, stock buy back programs, paying down debt and capital investment projects.
AFPM President and CEO Chet Thompson issued the following statement in response to President Biden’s State of the Union address: "Using the State of the Union to politicize market fundamentals and single out stock “buy back” programs—while overlooking the fact that the Biden administration’s own policies discourage the reinvestment of earnings back into the U.S. liquid fuel supply chain—cheapens the dialog for everyone."
AFPM President and CEO Chet Thompson this week submitted comments to leaders of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee after the Committee’s inaugural hearing on the state of U.S. transportation infrastructure and supply chains failed to include customer perspectives.
AFPM issued the following statement on the passage of California legislation that will empower the state’s unelected bureaucracy to impose an effective windfall tax and massive regulatory burden on the state’s remaining refineries. "...Add this legislative cocktail to the list of self-inflicted policy wounds for a state already bleeding people."
WASHINGTON, D.C – American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) yesterday filed comments with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) in response to their proposed rule that would require railroads to report service metrics and require the use of reciprocal switching agreements to address insufficient rail service.
Today, Rob Benedict, AFPM Vice President of Petrochemicals and Midstream, issued the following statement in response to a unanimous proposal from the U.S. Surface Transportation Board that would allow for reciprocal switching within the U.S. freight rail system in order to address inadequate service.
AFPM President and CEO Chet Thompson issued the following statement in response to the White House’s latest announcement of a release of crude oil from the SPR: “The SPR was never meant to serve as a substitute for actual crude oil production. At best, SPR releases are a short-term fix, not a long-term solution or signal of stability to a market craving reassurance..."
Earnings in commodities-based industries tend to be cyclical. Because of the up-and-down reality of refining, it would be a mistake to regulate or legislate based on the high points. A few quarters of earnings don’t provide an accurate representation. That context is important for answering the question of what happens with refinery profits and whether using earnings to “buy back” stock from shareholders is an appropriate use of those funds.
