Recent Posts

U.S. refinery utilization is the quiet hero in a tight refined product market

In a tight refined product market it has been U.S. refiners that have stepped up. Our industry ran full-out for most of 2022 making sure American consumers, our domestic economic centers and our allies had enough gasoline, diesel and jet fuel to keep everyone moving. Our refining sector leads the world in liquid fuel production and is effectively doing more than any other to bring better balance to the global market.

Time for a revisit: What happens with refinery profits… and are “buy backs” a bad thing?

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 welcomes Aaron Ringel as Vice President of Government Relations

American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) President & CEO Chet Thompson today issued the following statement on the recent hiring of Aaron Ringel as Vice President of Government Relations: “We are glad to welcome Aaron and immediately put him to work on behalf of AFPM’s members from the refining, petrochemical and midstream energy industries..."

AFPM: Parts of EPA’s RFS proposal “completely contrary” to Congress’s vision

AFPM Senior Director of Fuels and Vehicle Policy, Patrick Kelly, testified during the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) public hearing on the proposed Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) “Set” Rule. EPA’s proposal will stifle advanced biofuels, promote first generation biofuels beyond the market’s ability to absorb them and shift overall RFS growth away from liquid biofuels and into the power electricity sector. This is completely contrary to how congress envisioned EPA’s handling of the program.

Bad Ideas on the Rebound: Why Minimum Inventories & Export Restrictions are Still a Lose-Lose

Restricting exports would be a major unforced error for the President, tightening global fuel supplies, throttling U.S. fuel production and increasing costs for American consumers. Likewise, imposing product inventory requirements boils down to siphoning gasoline and diesel into storage, and away from consumers.

Windfall Profit Tax = Good for Political Soundbites, Bad for Consumers

AFPM President and CEO Chet Thompson issued the following statement regarding President Biden’s suggestion that a Windfall Profit Tax should be considered to address fuel supplies and prices: “Once again, the President is more worried about political posturing before the Midterms than he is about advancing energy policies that will actually deliver for the American people."

AFPM Response to White House SPR Announcement

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..."

California Ban on Gas & Diesel Cars and Trucks Should Concern Every American

AFPM president and CEO Chet Thompson issued the following statement in response to a vote of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approving California’s Advanced Clean Cars 2 regulation, establishing an escalating ban on the sale of gasoline and diesel-fueled cars and trucks, culminating with a 100% ban by 2035. "California’s radical ban on gasoline- and diesel-fueled cars and trucks will have devastating implications for consumers, energy security and the U.S. manufacturing economy. It is critical that President Biden and the EPA reject California’s request for a Clean Air Act waiver to proceed with this unlawful ban."