Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: Patangeles
Good reply. But do any companies have their own refineries?

They all do. But we haven't built a new refinery in this country since 1968, and we've torn down a bunch, because they're icky, they stink, and they're ugly, so no one wants one in his back yard...but everyone still expects cheap gasoline as some sort of birthright.

California is the worst of the bunch in this regard. We don't want to build more nuclear power plants (because they have the word "nuclear" in the name), they don't want to build more oil or coal-fired plants (because they put out icky stuff), they don't want any more hydroelectric dams built (because they make rivers less wild and scenic), and they don't want any more windmills built (because they're "condor cuisinarts")...but they still expect the damn light switch to work, and the bill to be nice and inexpensive.

Refinery capacity growth hasn't kept up with demand growth. So where we used to have a buyer's market, we now have a seller's market--and the buyers are (a) unwilling to make the changes necessary to make it a buyer's market and (b) resent the sellers.

At some point, Californication is going to outlaw "profit" because only "greedy people demand profits."

It would seem advantageous to some companies to have their own refineries, so they can capitalize on sporatic short supplies.

Yeah, well, try actually BUILDING a refinery in this country. No one will let you. EVERYONE will tell you to build it somewhere else. Everyone wants gasoline; no one wants the production facility in their neck of the woods.

39 posted on 09/08/2003 2:59:45 PM PDT by Poohbah (Crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their women.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 37 | View Replies ]


To: Poohbah
A good idea would be to tax foreign oil imports. We need to make American oil drilling more profitable. I'm not generally for taxes, but in this case, it might be for the better.
45 posted on 09/08/2003 3:45:34 PM PDT by Patangeles (Proudly ignoring the articles as well as the responses since 1999! :))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 39 | View Replies ]

To: Poohbah
We don't want to build more nuclear power plants (because they have the word "nuclear" in the name), they don't want to build more oil or coal-fired plants (because they put out icky stuff), they don't want any more hydroelectric dams built (because they make rivers less wild and scenic), and they don't want any more windmills built (because they're "condor cuisinarts")...but they still expect the damn light switch to work, and the bill to be nice and inexpensive.

And they don't want photovoltaics because making them uses icky chemicals and they don't want fuel cells because they have to get H2 from somewhere and don't forget about the Hindenburg blowing up...

*sound of C_G's head banging against desk*

There, I feel much better now. You've got it nailed, Poohbah.

58 posted on 09/08/2003 4:42:39 PM PDT by Chemist_Geek ("Drill, R&D, and conserve" should be our watchwords! Energy independence for America!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 39 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson