Why would they? Extra refining capacity equals increased supply, equals lower prices.

Besides, they have dorks like Rory blaming the tree huggers when he'd become one himself if they proposed a refinery next door to him.

Even if they wanted to the current with the current regs it would take 20 years. Same with a nuke plant or a coal fired electric plant. You bend over,lube up and then pay them to slam it to ya why bitoch about your own choices?

From The Link:

"To point to the environmental laws as the cause simply misses the fact that it was the major oil companies, not the environmental groups, that used the regulatory process to create artificial shortages and limit competition."


Looks like the righties have wandered off, and don'y want to play anymore.
Funny, they did the same thing the last time I posted this.
Aversion to facts I'd guess............ :p

KK

TK: Wrong, as the new energy Bill streamlines the process for new plants, as I recall. I'll look it up, and post what I find.
If I am correct, then all excuses would be off the table for big oil, eh?
You seem to think they'll be chompin' at the bit, to build a new refinery.........somehow, with Conoco/Phillips profits up 89%, I seriously doubt it.

KK

KK,
Theoretically at this point. I would not build one either. Business are in business to make money. Liberals seem to think that they have a god given right to cheap energy with no environmental impact. Childish at best. I doubt you charge far less than the market would bear and end each year with a zero balance bank account? I did notice in your fishing pics that you seem to favor top of the line gear. No Zebcos' and Southbends for you

Damn straight TK, I've always said, buy the best equipment you can afford, take care of it, and in the long run, you'll be money ahead.
I charge a bit less than some, and as a Small Business (backbone of the American economy, can't stress that enough) :p , and job creator, I have to look out for all the usual pitfalls in business.
Quality products and services, timely service, and value for the customers dollar.
It's easy really, I'm sure you know that part.

I have never said that oil companies don't have a right o make a profit, and as a capitalist, i would not like to see that precedent set.
On the flip side, why subsidize companies making record profits? read the linked memo's, and see if you think the enviros are really to blame here.
As with most things, lots of blame to go around, if you can call it that. The oil companies operate in a manner that I cannot, such as use of lobbyists, and Federal largesse. The market has determined (or the lobbyists have) that there's no money from the Feds more me.
I'm fine with that.
Not exactly Adam Smith's free market, eh?

KK

Uh, TK... you are full of CRAP! Change that to read...

And you would be far closer to actual fact, and not bull feces...

No I think most people on the right expect to pay a fair price for goods and services and hope to keep govt. out of that process. They also realize that you have to balance the needs of the many against the environment if you want to have this many people on the planet living the way we do.

In other words we are based in reality.

TK,

You may not be a chickenhawk, like Rory, but you definately have a bird quality about you. Like say...

An ostrich?

Get your head out of the sand, and look around. Right wingers in Congress are griping, and they only do that when they know their "little people" with all the votes want something done. In other words, REPUBLICANS ARE COMPLAINING TOO.

My experience tells me that the right wing, so to speak, have more of a sense of entitlement than the left.
The most problems I've ever had, regarding collecting money, and such, have been from righty.
Funny, some people just never plan on paying you in full, right from the start.

KK

Yeah, now I'm real glad that I hung onto my '82 Honda -- 30 mpg is nice and they truck stays parked most of the time.

I disagree that an oil company wouldn't want to build a new refinery. If you're a potato farmer and prices are high, wouldn't you want more land to grow more?

Our #1 import from Canada is petroleum. I wonder if they pipe refined products to us as well -- probably.

B-Run,

here you go

Well, maybe. As that would depend on other farmer's planned increases in production, as well as a continued demand for potato's (I always think of Dan Quayle when I type that word), as well as 'barriers to entry' for other farmers, looking to cash in on the potato prices, and those barriers' effects on potential potato profits. :p

In short, making record profits, as big oil is currently doing, shows implicitly, that they are doing 'right' by their shareholders.
The only question is, are they doing right, in an open and legally prescribed manner.
Th other. more temporal issue could be, Is there nothing moreimportant that return to shareholders, in this country. Lke return to stakeholders............and that is a topic for another thread, that I will start, after I get some fun at Buhco'sxpense, when and if the indictments hit the wire.

KK

I don't think I can agree with that either... C'mon KK, I think you know that's a real stretch.

And just for the record, am I the only one getting tired of Floridians "demanding?" They live in hurricane country, know when hurricane season is, get advanced warning and they can't store enough dry goods and water to survive on? Food grade 55 gallon drums do a fine job of water storage and hand pumps are cheap. If the kids need milk, give them powedered or canned for crying out loud!!!

Sorry... Just had to vent.

Does Anti-trust enter into any of this? Notice how mergers have cut the number of oil companies in half? At least among the big players. Chevron and Texico are now one. Exxon-Mobil. Connoco-Phillips. ARCO, but that's been a real long time. Probably others. It's looking more like an oligopoly, the next best thing to a monopoly, if you can get it. Big oil companies can; potato farmers can't.

Seems like big oil is just positioning itself for that peak oil myth that has been discussed here. If the supply of crude oil isn't going to grow, why build more refineries? Might as well merge and merge and control ever more of the remaining supply and squeeze the maximum profit out of it.

A lot of us are gonna' be taking sailing lessons in the future, I expect.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

Aunty;
Just my experience in the service sector of the economy. Perhaps entitlement was not the right term, as it implies 'government' to some.
Fact is, that for me, I have the most trouble collecting monies owed from my most conservative clients. It's not that I don't like them, it's just that they always are late, quibbling over some aspect of the bill etc. More posturing than anything, the seem to take issue, and want to make a game of it.
The don't make any complaints about the service, or products, just a general stance that says 'I'm the customer here, and I want a deal'.
They don't replace me, and like I said above, it just seems like some people never plan on paying in full, or on time.
FYI, most of my customers this year have been righty, and I am currently proposing a job for a 'bigtime' righty...
I hope they pay on time. :p

KK

That would be the best way to maximize return to shareholders, wouldn't it.
What was the primary responsibilty of the oil companies again TK? :p

KK

GERTH: EXPERTS SOUND WARNINGS ON OIL PRODUCTION CAPACITY... secret intelligence report warns of doubts about Saudi Arabia's assurances of how much it can expand oil capacity...........

Currently running on Drudge...so ya know it's true. :p
How timely, and germane to the topic too !!

KK

Hey Lupo I gotta agree (scary huh?) with you that drilling in the ANWR will not solve our energy problems. We need to go nuke and alternative fuels. And we need to start NOW.
By the way has anyone ever heard of windfall profits tax? Good time to speak to the Oil companies about it.

When one considers what burning fossil fuels to create electricy does to the environment, you'd think it would be a no brainer. But what do I know? I lived within a stones throw of nuclear powered ships and subs for 20 years, so I'm not much of a worrywort.

If we ever have an earthquake that disrupts power for a long time in this region, you will all learn how beneficial it is in having several Naval bases with those nuclear powered vessels here, since they can create an enormous amounts of shore power.

KK,

The potato analogy works if there are several competing farmers. If anti-trust laws are being broken, that's a different subject.

I was against building the Trans-Alaska pipeline big time. But since it's there, we need to drill ANWR during the pipeline's service lifetime. That coastal plain is not the beautiful paradise the anti-drill people would have you believe. It makes the Bonneville salt flats look like a good place to live.