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The penalty the working man pays when whacko libtards block every effort to build new refineries for 30 years!

“The penalty the working man pays when whacko libtards block every effort to build new refineries for 30 years!”

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

While I wholeheartedly agree, I wonder how much the Koch Brothers and other refinery owners had to do with blocking potential competition.

When was the last refinery built in the United States?
http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=29&t=6

There were 140 operable petroleum refineries in the United States as of January 1, 2015.

Two new refineries began operating in early 2015:

The 19,000-barrel-per-calendar day (b/cd) Dakota Prairie facility in Dickinson, North Dakota.
The 42,000 b/cd Kinder Morgan condensate processing facility on the Houston, Texas, ship channel, with plans to double that capacity by the end of 2015.

The newest refinery with significant downstream unit capacity began operating in 1977 in Garyville, Louisiana. That facility came online in 1977 with an initial atmospheric distillation unit capacity of 200,000 b/cd, and as of January 1, 2015 had capacity of 522,000 b/cd.

Capacity has also been added to existing refineries through upgrades or new construction. The most recent examples are:

In 2012, Motiva upgraded its refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, making it the largest refinery in the United States with a capacity of 603,000 b/cd as of January 1, 2015.
In 2009, Marathon upgraded its Garyville, Louisiana refinery. As of January 1, 2015, the capacity (b/cd) is more than double its original 1977 capacity.

The newest refineries currently operating in the United States:

Year Built	First Operated	Location	Original Owner	Original Capacity b/cd	Current Owner	2014 Capacity b/cd
2014	2015	Dickinson, ND	Dakota Prairie	19,000	Dakota Praire Refining	19,000
2014	2015	Galena Park, TX	Kinder Morgan	42,000	Kinder Morgan	42,000
2008	2008	Douglas, WY	Interline Resources	3,000	Antelope Refining	3,800
1998	1998	Atmore, AL	Goodway	4,100	Goodway	4,100
1993	1993	Valdez, AK	Petro Star	26,300	Petro Star	55,000
1991	1992	Ely, NV	Petro Source	7,000	Foreland	2,000
1986	1987	North Pole, AK	Petro Star	6,700	Petro Star	19,700
1985	1986	Prudhoe Bay, AK	ARCO	12,000	Phillips 66	15,000
1979	1980	Wilmington, CA	Huntway	5,400	Valero	6,300
1978	1979	Vicksburg, MS	Ergon	10,000	Ergon	23,000
1978	1979	North Slope, AK	ARCO	13,000	BP Exploration, AK	10,500
1977	1978	Lake Charles, LA	Calcasieu	6,500	Calcasieu	80,000
1976	1977	Garyville, LA	Marathon	200,000	Marathon	522,000
1976	1977	Krotz Springs, LA	Gold King	5,000	Alon	80,000
1975	1975	Corpus Christi, TX	Saber	15,000	Valero	205,000

Yep, I’ve heard that because of enviro extremists, that we haven’t built any new refineries in years. So, the refineries are always stretched to capacity.

How much more gas do we use than 30 years ago? Yet we have the same refining capacity to deliver the gasoline.

I wonder too, about how long refineries operate before they need major maintenance/upgrades or replacing? Yet we are in a situation in which we can’t build new refineries. What happens when refineries reach the end of their life spans???