[Carry_Okie]

Did all of your competition produce the exact same product, same specification?

Very close. It was a commodity product in the medical device business, sold worldwide.

The only difference in gasoline brands is the additives added at the loading rack.

Not true. California gasoline is very different than the rest of the nation.

Refining margins are very tight. The don't allow to spend hundreds of millions of dollars per major unit to duplicate capacity and not use it.

That is not true either. Across a nation this large and together with a futures market, marginal capacity can be distributed among sellers. The only thing that makes it true in California is the differentiated specification and razor tight production capacity.

The NRDC is the petrochemical industry's best friend, particularly for the way it sues to get regulations that put their competitors out of business and force consumers to use more of their products.

[thackney]

The only difference in gasoline brands is the additives added at the loading rack.

Not true. California gasoline is very different than the rest of the nation.

True enough. Many areas have specific gasoline requirements.

The point I was trying to get to, is that competitors sell the same product, often with the competitions additives stored and loaded at their truck loading racks. California, while have a unique requirement, is not unique in having such a requirement.

Gasoline blending products are routinely shipped to different parts of the nation and blended to meet the local recipe.

[thackney]

I provided the above gasoline requirements map as an example, but I find it is out of date. The more current map is located here:

[thackney]

I provided the above gasoline requirements map as an example, but I find it is out of date.

The more current map is located here:

http://www.exxon.com/USA-English/GFM/Files/US_Gasoline_Map.pdf