At least eight Gulf Coast refineries in the path of Hurricane Katrina shut down or reduced operations by Monday, according to company and U.S. Department of Energy reports. The eight represent about 2.3 million barrels of daily refining capacity. In the Gulf, reports from the Mineral Management Services showed crude oil production down about 91 percent, or 1.37 million barrels. The Gulf also lost about 82 percent of daily natural gas production, according to the assessment released midday. Damage appears to be minimal, but Bob Slaughter, president of the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association in Washington, said even that assessment...
