Refinery news (merged)

[Eli]

Today is the day that PO story will break out imho. My local news is already talking about how we have hit record high gas prices in the state the funny thing is the article came out today and they are of by about .10$. Gas has already moved higher.

If something does not stop gas and oil prices and nothing seems to be showing up to do that Gas and oil prices are going to start swamping the airwaves. Followed by bad economic news.

Did you see that there was another refinery fire this time in Philly? Another 300,000 barrel facility down. What is the current amount of production already offline because of fires. I heard it was the wee heavey curde they are processing is this true?

[Cyrus]

I heard it was the wee heavey curde they are processing is this true?

Yep.

[Raxozanne]

The evening BBC national news at 6 'o' clock reported on record petrol prices across the nation. The subject was third on the list, after the conviction of the 4 terrorist bomb suspects and the Discovery space shuttle. They also reported the prices were predicted to go higher. Maybe that managed to wake a few people up.

[emersonbiggins]

Today is the day that PO story will break out imho.

My local news is already talking about how we have hit record high gas prices in the state the funny thing is the article came out today and they are of by about .10$. Gas has already moved higher.


If something does not stop gas and oil prices and nothing seems to be showing up to do that Gas and oil prices are going to start swamping the airwaves. Followed by bad economic news.

Did you see that there was another refinery fire this time in Philly? Another 300,000 barrel facility down. What is the current amount of production already offline because of fires. I heard it was the wee heavey curde they are processing is this true?

Nah, more than likely the gas prices will be blamed on curtailed refinery capacity *plus* a fear of supply disruptions abroad, e.g. U.S. Saudi embassy abandoned. There will probably be a resurgence of interest in bringing new refineries to the U.S., not knowing that the odds of that happening are slight-to-none. NIMBYism will take over, and once again, the poorest of the poor will probably get screwed again.

On a related note, did the provision to allow refinery construction to commence on former military bases pass with Bushco's energy plan?

If so, then we'll just sit back and wait on the cranes, right?

[Eli]

My heading is kind of misleading. What I mean is I think we are off to the races from here as far as oil and gas prices go and media coverage.

I edited it a bit for you MQ

I think it is going to go like this we will see another spike on Wednesday day after another bad report comes out about gas supplys. A hurricane will form anywhere in the Atlantic ocean and we will see another spike. And someone will fart in Saudi and we see another spike.

Next thing you know we will be heading north of 100 dollars then they will talk about maybe we have hit PO. Simmons will be booked on meet the press. That is what I am thinking anyway is a likely outcome.


Emmersome, you are so right I forgot about that energy bill whew.....that was a close one. All hail are brilliant leaders with a one finger salute.

The story of PO will have broken once Simmons is on a nationally sindicated show on the majors or cable.

[emersonbiggins]

There's so much inertia involved with keeping the world economy at status quo that if PO took off in the presses, you might as well be yelling 'fire' in a crowded theater. OTOH, if few know about PO, then few will be adequately prepared for its effects.

My guess is that we'll hear plenty about the 'warning signs' of PO like shortages, refinery incidents and OPEC news bulletins, but no one will dare mention the elephant in the living room causing all of it.

[Eli]

That is the other option that I think may happen, but right now I am leaning towards PO becoming mentioned more and more but will take constant talking about gas and oil prices and shortages and the whole lot.

That is my hope anyway.

I think it makes sense for the majors to avoid the topic of PO and to not talk about it until it is virtually indisputable. If a major organization talked about po happening right now and they were wrong it could cuase substantial damage to the economy and that particular news organization.

[seldom_seen]

Even as oil sores towards 100/barrel, I think we will still be told that war is peace, freedom is slavery and ignorance is strength.

Anyone with an inquisitive nature will surely look beyond the propaganda and discover the 10,000 pound oil depletion gorilla staring them in the face.

However, the people at the control panel of the megamachine will be desperate to keep the wheels of the machine spinning, so they will go to great lengths to divert, confuse and muddle the issue.

[emersonbiggins]

Indeed. The emperor certainly has no clothes, but dares not tell anyone about it.

[zceb90]

The evening BBC national news at 6 'o' clock reported on record petrol prices across the nation. The subject was third on the list, after the conviction of the 4 terrorist bomb suspects and the Discovery space shuttle. They also reported the prices were predicted to go higher. Maybe that managed to wake a few people up.

Oil prices was promoted to #1 item on BBC TV news at 2200 hrs but again focus was on petrol (gasoline) prices where the rises are modest in percentage terms due to taxation. There was little mention of impacts on industry and tax exempt users such as farmers and shipping or fuel oil where the %age rise more fully reflects the underlying crude price rise.

My biggest problem with BBC's reporting of this story is that they are coming up with the 'usual suspects' as to the underlying cause i.e. rapid growth in US and China. They are not picking up on the real reason, that of depletion.

[Free]

Even as oil sores towards 100/barrel, I think we will still be told that war is peace, freedom is slavery and ignorance is strength.

Anyone with an inquisitive nature will surely look beyond the propaganda and discover the 10,000 pound oil depletion gorilla staring them in the face.

However, the people at the control panel of the megamachine will be desperate to keep the wheels of the machine spinning, so they will go to great lengths to divert, confuse and muddle the issue.

That is my take as well. Although I am not thinking it is really deliberate propaganda by TPTB, the people just have no clue, especially the media, the journalists. And if they don't get it at $65, why should they get it at $100?

The only people that know what's the score are in the oil-industry itself, and they have the smallest interest in trumpetting it around. They are making their biggest profits now and don't want the emergency brakes with rationing etc.

The thing is, for the media there will always be a good enough reason for the oil price being high, terror, hurricans, wars, farts, so there is no need to look into it.

They take it as god-given. Although the one thing I started to notice recently that now they at least mention that there is very little spare capacity. But in the next interview some "expert" confidently states that we will be seeing $30 again when new sources go online in the next couple of years. No, they won't get it.

And even if the word got out - so what? All you have to do to keep people sleeping is to make the IMPRESSION that there is at least a debate if PO is real, just look at climate change, all you need is one pseudo-scientist in your pocket who utters his scepticism and the media will give him 50% coverage because they want to be "balanced".

[UIUCstudent01]

I'm not sure if this is new or not. But today in USA Today, there was an ad for energy conservation from marathon petroleum. It had this website on it:

http://www.marathonpetroleum.com/opinions/

The ad itself talked about how they prepared to increase 1 million gallons or barrels over the course of the years or somesuch. It was a pretty much a fluff ad and gave some simple tips on improving miles per gallon (like keeping your tires inflated..).

Thus, Marathon joins in on spending money to save some face as do the oil providers.

Weird that.

[DantesPeak]

Man vs. Nature, and nature is winning.

Excerpt:

Road to recovery sinking into Gulf Updated 7/18/2006 12:25 AM ET By Elliot Blair Smith, USA TODAY
LEEVILLE, La. — Gravestones trail into the water along Louisiana State Highway 1 within view of the mechanical-lift bridge that rises lazily above Bayou Lafourche to allow shrimp boats and tugs to pass.
The road and bayou curl together from local shipyards to deep-water oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, known as "the blue-collar coast."

This is the intersection of a fading Cajun dream, where French-speaking immigrants once fished and farmed sugarcane and cotton, and the jarring new reality that has transformed a deteriorating two-lane highway into an energy artery that carries crude oil and natural gas from the Gulf to the rest of the USA.

Nowhere in Louisiana are the nation's needs and the local population's desires so closely aligned as on the crumbling asphalt ribbon that reaches to Port Fourchon at the state's southern tip. Fourchon supply boats serve the giant Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, 18 miles into the Gulf, which offloads crude oil supplies from foreign tankers, and 75% of all deep-water Gulf oil and gas drilling.

Last year, Hurricane Katrina temporarily shut down most Gulf production and forced the evacuation of the peninsular strip of land that LA-1 traverses, laying bare the nation's dependence on a remote road that connects 16% of all U.S. oil supplies to 50% of the USA's refining capacity. Stranded energy supplies sent consumer prices soaring. The aftershocks rattle markets even now, amid a new hurricane season.

USA Today

[pedalling_faster]

in 50 years it might be a skin-diving location.

[DantesPeak]

in 50 years it might be a skin-diving location.

At least there will be some interesting pre-PO artifacts to look at.

Even in my home state of New Jersey, a story in a major newspaper predicts the entire 100 mile long NJ shore area, a very popular tourist destination in the summer, will be completely submerged in 50 years or so.

[NEOPO]

The road was built because of hydrocarbons and hydrocarbons will destroy the road all compliments of Mom.

The irony.
Its a very beautiful thing.

The NJ shore was sustained to this point mainly because of vacationers/tourist's with access to cheap hydrocarbons.

Yep...... it is perfect in every way.

[shakespear1]

Mom wants the it and Mom takes it. A less that was forgotten for some time even though the warning signs were THERE !!!!

[turmoil]

Battle of New Orleans (2005-2006)

We built our levees but the water kept a comin.
There wasn't nigh as much as there was a while ago.
It came once more and we began to runnin'
up the mississippi from the Gulf of Mexico.

[Carlhole]

http://www.abc.net.au/science/crude/

I didn't see this this excellent documentary posted anywhere. And the site says first published 5-27-07. So enjoy, if you haven't seen it.

[Johnston]

Also this is a really good one:

http://abc.net.au/4corners/special_eds/20060710/