The operator of an 800-ton crane at ExxonMobil’s Baton Rouge, Louisiana, polypropylene project construction site lowers a new 150-foot-tall reactor into place.
It is not uncommon for stereotypes to be repeated long after they are no longer valid and to be considered received wisdom even in the face of evidence to the contrary.
The petrochemical and petroleum refining industries are always in flux. Whether it is new supplies like oil sands-derived synthetic crudes or tight oil crudes and condensates; new technologies like...
Some things don’t change and allow me to say “thank goodness for that” because dealing with changes can be exhausting. So I’m sure that you will find it reassuring to know that you can count on...
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, amid concerns about the spread of COVID-19, the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers has made the difficult decision to cancel its Annual Meeting slated to take place March 22-24 in Austin, Texas, and the International Petrochemical Conference scheduled for March 29-31 in New Orleans.
Governor Gavin Newsom continues to blame fuel refiners for California’s highest-in-the-nation fuel prices. He couldn't be more wrong. The problem and solution to much of California’s fuel price challenge can be found in Sacramento policy. Take a look to better understand the role of policy in regional price differences, why it’s inaccurate to equate “margins” or “refinery cracks” with “profits,” and why windfall profit taxes are a known policy failure.
Refinery utilization, measures how much crude oil refineries are processing or “running” as a percentage of their maximum capacity. It tells us roughly how much of our refining muscle is being put to work manufacturing fuel. American refineries are running full-out, at about 95% of total capacity, contributing more fuel—gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, etc.—to the global market than any other country. In fact, U.S. refineries process more crude oil every day than the United States produces, and we make more finished fuels than the United States consumes.
The United States has the most complex and efficient refining industry in the world, but we also have less refining capacity than we used to. Where the issue of refining capacity is concerned, it’s important to understand what refining capacity is, why we’ve lost capacity in the United States and how policies can advance the competitiveness of our refineries in the global market.
AFPM President and CEO Chet Thompson and API President and CEO Mike Sommers sent a letter to President Biden responding to recent letters the Administration sent to major U.S. fuel refiners suggesting that these companies, their workforces and facilities throughout the country aren’t doing their part to bring fuel to the market and lower energy costs for consumers.
2019 has ushered a slew of energy conferences to the oil- and gas-friendly state of Texas, and in some cases the media took issue with the lack of diversity — mainly women.