Posted on 09/12/2008 3:15:20 AM PDT by don-o
Knoxville-area drivers are seeing more bags on gasoline pumps today as a petroleum shortage spreading throughout the Southeast hits local gas stations, groceries and convenience stores.
Refinery outages along the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Gustav have created severe shortages, causing retailers like Weigel's to scramble to keep their pumps flowing. And Hurricane Ike is bearing down on Texas, drawing a bead on North America's petroleum manufacturing capital of Houston and portending a worst-case scenario for dealers and consumers.
(Excerpt) Read more at knoxnews.com ...
There was a plan to build more refineries on closed military bases.
I would approve of that as long as:
1. They would be built in other parts of the country -- Carolinas/Georgia/Pennsylvania/Ohio/Indiana/Illinois or some other place. This would mean we did not have all our eggs in one basket (Texas-Louisiana-Mississippi Gulf Coast)
2. Allow for spare capacity so that we are operating at 70% to 80% of capacity.
And I would not mind if the government contracted this out to oil companies to do (I think the government would make a mess of it).
As a taxpayer, I found it very annoying to be gasoline lines in California in the 1970s because of the presidency of Jimmy Carter. I would not mind tax dollars be used to help prevent shortages of gasoline -- even if it is only for a week or two.
Believe it or not we have some oil wells here in counties surrounding Knoxville. Mostly the counties to the north. That's where the coal seams are also.
The FED has plenty of land here that mostly likely would not be suitable for anything else but something like a refinery due to HAZMAT from the Oak Ridge weapons facilities. I’m talking about quite a few thousand acres too. Of course the same Kooks who come here every year to protest the weapons facilities likely wouldn’t like that either.
Absolutely correct!!! Some offshore drilling on both the east coast and west coast would provide greater security during times like this. I would also like to see us pursue oil shale and coal to liquids for the same reason.
A pipeline from the Louisiana Superport could supply oil to new refineries in Tennessee/Northern Mississippi/Northern Alabama/Georgia/Kentucky.
Maybe there is already some Federal Land that can be used away from the Nuke labs in Tennessee. Huntsville is a NASA site, and I don't know if there are very many acres for NASA there.
But it would not be a problem to pump oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to other refineries -- provided the pipelines exist -- in cases where there are problems with Gulf Coast oil refineries.
One solution is to build several large refinery or several large refineries in various strategic spots across the country.
As an example,one place that comes to mind would be inland from Virginia Beach near Richmond.
A large refinery or several large refineries inland near Richmond would provide gasoline/diesel/petroleum products to Norfolk/Virginia Beach/Washington, DC/Philadelphia and points North. It should also be able to serve the Carolinas and maybe parts of Georgia as well as Tennessee and Kentucky as well as West Virginia...
Additionally, such refineries should be able to areas South as well.
A short term answer would be to stop shipping crude oil, gasoline and diesel fuel into Florida.
After Florida starts offshore drilling they would be an asset not a liability when it comes to energy production.
Drill or you are part of the problem !
We had stations limiting purchases to 10 gallons and long lines (30+ cars waiting) in many stations I saw yesterday afternoon in Chattanooga. I was told it was because the price was about to jump .40 to 50 cents by today.
This shortage WILL have an impact on the election. Dems will use the MSM to put the blame on Repubs. The sheeple will fall in line and be aghast.
See also:
As refineries button up, fuel supplies cause concern
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2080698/posts
...Fuel supplies were already weakened after Hurricane Gustav knocked out about 15 percent of the nation’s refining capacity for several days.
Hey Buddy,
I live rural. Gas went up $.10 here to $3.859 on Mon. night. Another increase will not be welcome here, but people will cope. Shortages will be another matter in rural areas.
Last one, I promise:
Gas stations run short amid rush to fill up
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2080706/posts
Anne Peebles, spokeswoman for Shell’s retail division, said about 30 percent of Shell stations were out of gas Thursday afternoon, leaving the majority with fuel on hand.
The prices were raised about 20 cents at one, and about 40 cents at another.
One that still had gasoline at yesterday's price was out of gas, but a gasoline was just pulling into the station as I went by. This was a .
An Exxon and Shell both had gasoline, as well as another gasoline station (not a national brand).
But I am a short haul from refineries -- South Louisiana with refineries in Lake Charles 70 miles West, Baton Rouge 50 miles East, and New Orleans (about 100 miles Southeast).
It might be that some retailers will not pay the higher prices and will just run out. Or their suppliers will not pay the extra $1.50 gallon -- which is outrageous...
I hope 10 cents a gallon is all the increase you see...
One that still had gasoline at yesterday's price was out of gas, but a gasoline tanker truck was just pulling into the station as I went by. This was a Valero Station (based in San Antonio, Texas).
Weigel’s went up 30 cents this morning and the two I drove by were out of regular unleaded.
Hearing reports of Appco stations dry in Johnson City
I read somewhere that the Cummins Terminal is down and that accounts for 1/3 of Knoxville’s gas.
That might account for it. I've never seen anything priced as wide like this. I live close to I-75's 122 exit. Stations along that strip all went up some 4.19 but Exxon, Phillips, and one Shell was 4.49-4.69. What was even more insane was people were buying the highest price.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.