People always talk about the Biden admin reacting to everything happening, rather than getting ahead of the curve. Of course, government getting ahead of the curve is difficult in any government. That’s just the setup. What is it called when an administration is not just reacting, but, reacting months and months and months behind? Even a year behind?
White House Eyes Restarting Idle Refineries to Tame Fuel Prices
The Biden administration is reaching out to the oil industry to inquire about restarting shuttered refineries, as the White House scrambles to address record high-gasoline prices that are setting off political alarm bells ahead of the midterm elections.
Members of the National Economic Council and other officials have inquired within the industry about factors that led some refining operations to be curtailed and if plans are underway to restart capacity, a person familiar with the matter said. The person, who wasn’t authorized to speak on the record, added no direct ask to restart operations was made.
The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The administration’s efforts come as the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline stood at a record $4.60 Wednesday, just as the summer driving season is set to begin. In California, prices are more than $6 a gallon, according to AAA.
The pandemic shut down capacity by 4.5%. Doesn’t seem like much, but, it can make a difference. Many that closed due to the pandemic never reopened. Those that can reopen can take quite a bit of time to restart. The demand erosion created an issue with the refineries in the U.S. and around the world. Many do not want to restart, having shifted production to something else. Even if crude oil production was at full capacity, it is a matter of shipping it to the refineries, which are in short supply.
And Biden is a year behind on this. Really, though, you should expect the Biden admin to not want them online. They want high gas prices.
More than 1 million barrels a day of the country’s oil refining capacity — or about 5% overall — has shut since the beginning of the pandemic. Elsewhere in the world, capacity has shrunk by 2.13 million additional barrels a day, energy consultancy Turner, Mason & Co. estimates. And with no plans to bring new US plants online, even though refiners are reaping record profits, the supply squeeze is only going to get worse.
Remember, Democrats were not allowing new refineries to come online over the past 30-40 years, so, then we do have to rely on overseas refineries, who were also shuttered.
I don’t think Team Biden owns any oil refineries.
Teach Do you want BIG GOVERNMENT to force privately owned companies now making record profits to reopen refineries and hurt their profits??? That sounds like socialism to me!!!
At least you properly identified the shortages in not co.i g from oil production but the c chokepoint is refineries which shut down during the Trump pandemic which ended up killing 1 million with another 3 million with long term health problems
Our national gas shortage might improve by increasing gas mileage by supplanting our fuel with ivermectin and zinc
You’re exactly right about that, Johnnie boy, but you still type nonsense.
#LGBFJB
Bwaha! Lolgf
“…..At least you properly identified the shortages…”
Actually I don’t think we have any actual shortages. What we have is “expectation.”
There is no doubt that the Biden administration has provided the base for the expectation.
But, and this is the critical point, ACTUAL shortages have not and do not exist.
Two villains do not make one hero.
So over the past couple of years, private refiners in the U.S. and globally shut down refining for business reasons, but it’s still President Biden’s fault. Got it. Should refineries keep operating even if it doesn’t make business since?
These refineries suspended production when Mr tRump was in charge. Why didn’t tRump make arrangements for them to restart??
Is it time to nationalize U.S. oil production and gasoline refining?
Anyway, U.S. Presidents don’t control gasoline prices, do they, but they get the blame. Is it fair to blame tRump for the pandemic?
Dear Elwood:
The article is about the 4.5% that shut down during the pandemic. That would be from around 3/2020. Last time I checked, Biden was appointed 11/2020. He’s had plenty of time to urge the oil industry to open back up. Instead he has made it clear he supports expected shortages…..and high prices.
Face facts. The shut down suited you Lefties just fine when it wasn’t hurting your election chances.
The esteemed Mr Dowd wrote:
We know that you did. More to the point, Joe Biden certainly did, stating that any President under whom a several hundred thousands of Americans died from the panicdemic was disqualified from being President. Now that more people died from COVID under President [shudder!] Biden than under President Trump, even though we’ve had the vaccines available to all adults within two months of the dummkopf from Delaware taking office, and progressively to children by last summer, he doesn’t seem to find it disqualifying anymore.
So we’re perfectly happy to blame the fake Catholic from New Castle County for everything we can, because you guys do the same thing. Anything which gets the socialists from the cities defeated in the next election, and the election after that, is reasonable and patriotic.
Heck, now we’re finding out what we always expected, that the lovely Mrs Clinton and the Democrats pushed Russian conspiracy theories to falsely accuse Mr Trump of collusion in 2016, so it’s clear that even illegality is approved by you guys to defeat your enemies.
Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.