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by pup55 » Thu 12 Jul 2007, 20:07:54
The governor lifted the limits on the hours that gasoline tanker truck drivers can work, a move designed to assure that adequate supplies reach retailers across the state, said Brian Crowe, an energy analyst for the Iowa Department of Transportation.
Tight Midwestern supplies and outages at some smaller Iowa terminals have forced drivers to travel extra miles to places such as Des Moines to fill their tanker trailers, often having to wait in long lines for hours.
by DantesPeak » Thu 12 Jul 2007, 20:13:26
July 10, 2007
Product Outages Plague Midwest Markets
Oil supply through the Midwest has been pinched by ongoing refinery production problems. As a result, a number of terminals are running out of fuel and the high prices indicative of the Midwest are now spreading to outlying markets.
Gasoline supply appears to be the hardest hit. Marketers from Oklahoma to Wisconsin report outages of unleaded gasoline. The farther you get from the refining and distribution centers the harder it becomes to find barrels.
"There is no fuel up here," one Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin -based marketer told his supplier at the end of last week. "It doesn't matter what the price is."
A check of key supply points along the Magellan Pipeline reveals an interesting dynamic. Magellan seems to be maintaining adequate stocks at its hub terminals - Kansas City, Omaha, Des Moines - but outlying terminals see supplies eroding. Doniphan, Nebraska, for example, is currently out of four different grades of fuel.
Sources who monitor supply/demand statistics along the Magellan say that the number of days of supply for unleaded has been "below normal" since June 6th, more than a month ago.
by stu » Fri 13 Jul 2007, 08:34:13
Gov. Chet Culver suspended the limit on the number of hours that fuel truck drivers may drive on the road amid the fuel price hike and shortages in the Midwest.
Drivers are typically limited to 12-hour days and at least 10 hours off after each shift, according a news release from the governor's office.
by shortonoil » Fri 13 Jul 2007, 08:48:01
by vision-master » Fri 13 Jul 2007, 15:34:08
by AirlinePilot » Fri 13 Jul 2007, 19:28:49
vision-master wrote:“We’re just one hurricane away from the five state area having no gas supply. The last time the hurricanes hit the Gulf, we had a lot of supply up here and we still had a bad time. Now, we don’t have any supply so we’d really have a problem.”
by Cobra_Strike » Fri 13 Jul 2007, 19:28:53
by DantesPeak » Fri 13 Jul 2007, 23:54:18
Cobra_Strike wrote:I am not thinking that a hurricane is required at this point. Sure it might make things happen faster, however things are already progressing nicely.
by DantesPeak » Sun 15 Jul 2007, 12:08:24
Jul 14 2007 7:06PM
KXMBTV Bismarck
Triple-A is ranking North Dakota sixth among the states with the highest Gasoline Prices this week. This as problems at the pipeline terminals continue
The Magellan Pipeline Terminal in West Fargo is facing its second shortage in a month. Three refineries in the region are either shut down or limited due to weather problems
And officials say they have no idea how long the problems will last
by shortonoil » Sun 15 Jul 2007, 13:34:54
And officials say they have no idea how long the problems will last
by DantesPeak » Sun 15 Jul 2007, 20:58:23
Heading to the Midwest? Brace yourself for high gas costs
Sunday, July 15, 2007
If your travel plans include a trip through parts of the Midwest and Plains states, take note: The area has a backlog of crude oil and a shortage of gasoline at the pump.
Several states are reporting scant supplies of gas after a Coffeyville, Kan., refinery flooded, and a Whiting, Ind., refinery was closed because of a leak.
While gas prices creep up here, the Oil Price Information Service predicted last week that the next 10 days could see the highest Midwestern prices of the year, with gas expected to hit $3.50 a gallon.
Several Midwestern governors have allowed tanker-truck drivers to stay behind the wheel longer to bring gas to the area. The truck drivers are experiencing long waits at refineries to get the gasoline. Some truckers are hauling gas from Canada.
States affected are Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa and the northern part of Texas.
by savethehumans » Mon 16 Jul 2007, 04:35:12
The Magellan Pipeline Terminal in West Fargo is facing its second shortage in a month. Three refineries in the region are either shut down or limited due to weather problems.
States affected are Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa and the northern part of Texas.
by DantesPeak » Wed 18 Jul 2007, 22:07:57
Jul 18, 2007 6:19 pm US/Central
N.D. Gov. Extends Fuel Trucker Order Until July 28
(AP) Bismarck, N.D. Gov. John Hoeven has extended until July 28 an executive order dealing with commercial truck drivers who haul fuel, to help deal with an ongoing shortage caused by refinery problems in the Midwest.
The order, which had been set to expire at midnight Wednesday, waives the 15-hour work shift limit for fuel haulers and allows them to drive to pipeline terminals in South Dakota and Minnesota in search of fuel.
"Reduced supplies owing to slowdowns and shutdowns at major petroleum refineries in the region have combined with increased fuel demand to create a potential gasoline shortage in North Dakota and regionally," Hoeven said in a statement.
Mike Rud, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Marketers Association, said the extension of Hoeven's order was appreciated.
"In the busy travel season, wherever you can go to get product ... that's a big deal at this point in time," he said. "We'd be in a lot worse shape if we didn't have this."
Rud said even though fuel also is in short supply in Minnesota and South Dakota, drivers from North Dakota stand a better chance of finding it if they have a wider area in which to search.
South Dakota and Minnesota have similar service-hour waivers in place for truck drivers. Montana -- which has four refineries and retail gas prices about 20 cents a gallon cheaper than North Dakota -- does not.
"We do have people sitting in line for periods of time (at terminals), but the situation is not so critical or drastic that our members feel it necessary to get an hours-of-service waiver at this point, because there is another side to that," said Ronna Alexander, executive director of the Montana Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association.
Rud said the terminal in Grand Forks got some gas in Wednesday morning but had no guarantee of more anytime soon. The terminal in Fargo was not due to get any fuel again until July 27, he said.
by PeakingAroundtheCorner » Wed 18 Jul 2007, 23:24:59
The terminal in Fargo was not due to get any fuel again until July 27, he said.
by Cobra_Strike » Thu 19 Jul 2007, 00:39:29
by EndOfGrowth » Thu 19 Jul 2007, 04:14:43
by stu » Thu 19 Jul 2007, 05:17:59
July 10, 2007 Recent natural disasters have put two Kansas oil facilities out of service, causing problems with fuel deliveries – problems which could hamper the state’s wheat harvest.
In an effort to avoid fuel supply disruptions, Governor Kathleen Sebelius has lifted certain restrictions on motor carriers making fuel deliveries.
“The harvest would grind to a halt without reliable fuel supplies. Lifting these restrictions will help prevent disruptions so we can make sure the trucks and combines keep running,” said Sebelius.
Storms on May 5 caused serious damage at the Magellan oil terminal in Great Bend, while recent flooding in Southeast Kansas forced the shutdown of the Coffeyville Resources refinery. The effect of these incidents has been amplified by refinery problems in neighboring states.
These disruptions have come at a time when fuel demand has increased due to the summer travel season and the wheat harvest. As a result, tanker trucks have encountered longer wait times at loading terminals, making it difficult for many to make deliveries while staying within limits on operator hours.
To combat this, Executive Order 07-19 suspends the requirements contained in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations CFR 49, Parts 390-399 under the authority of CFR 49, Part 390.23.
This order applies only to those motor carriers providing direct assistance to the emergency fuel relief effort and no motor carrier operating under the terms ofthis order shall require or permit a fatigued or ill driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle.
The order is effective for 30 days
Today, in an effort to address low gasoline and diesel supplies caused by recent refinery outages, Governor Chet Culver signed a proclamation to temporarily lift regulatory provisions that limit the number of hours gasoline and diesel truck drivers can be on the road. Normally drivers are limited to a 12 hour per day delivery window, with a minimum of 10 hours off after each shift. The Governor’s actions today allow gasoline and diesel delivery drivers extra time to deliver gasoline and diesel to retail stations in Iowa.
Due to the recent wave of refinery outages and heavy demand, Midwestern supplies of gasoline and diesel are lower than normal. The Hours of Service Waiver issued by the Governor comes as Minnesota, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, and Kansas have also issued waivers.
“This was a necessary step,” said Governor Culver. “Supplies were tight to begin with, and then after the Coffeyville, Kansas refinery was flooded last week, supplies became very tight.
“Now is as good of a time as any to point out the need for our state and our country to focus on energy conservation, fuel efficiency and researching and developing new, innovative alternative fuels. I look forward to a day where gasoline refinery outages will not impact Iowa’s energy supply. Simply put, we must work to wean ourselves off foreign oil. I am committed to doing everything I can as Governor to ensure that Iowa remains a leader developing new, clean forms of alternative energy for future generations. I believe the new Iowa Power Fund and Office of Energy Independence are giant steps towards reaching our goals.”
This Hours of Service Waiver will be in effect for 30 days.
It's bad enough that the price of gas is over the $3 mark, but now just finding the darn stuff has become a real challenge in some Midwestern states.
Things have gotten so bad in North Dakota that this week Governor John Hoeven issued an emergency order allowing commercial gasoline haulers to search for the precious commodity in neighboring states. To help deal with fuel shortages at pipeline terminals, last week fuel haulers were granted extended service hours to search for fuel within the state. The expanded order enables them to cross state lines to obtain fuel in South Dakota and Minnesota. North Dakota's order runs through Saturday but is expected to be extended. Similar orders in South Dakota and Minnesota are in effect until July 19. Approved by US DOT, the orders allow truckers in all three states to travel freely across borders in search of fuel.
by EndOfGrowth » Thu 19 Jul 2007, 07:10:50
by MacG » Thu 19 Jul 2007, 13:05:07
EndOfGrowth wrote:So what we are seeing here is predominantly a result of refinery outages caused by environmental factors. And not the symptoms of geologic peak?
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