09-15-2008, 03:39 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Broward County, Florida
Posts: 158
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Lord Snow
Even if Texas has the largest concentration of oil refineries, that still doesn't answer the question of why can't get some from other states have a few? We're supposed to be a country. United we stand, divided we fall. I'm sure there are a few search and rescue teams and supplies down in Texas that came from Tennessee as well as other states. Why can't other states give us a hand and send some fuel? Then again, that decision is left up to the politicians. Besides, most of the fuel we buy from gas stations doesn't even come from our refineries. It comes from over seas. Where we happen to be at war.
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Oil/Fuel is a commodity, as far as the transfer and shipping the government has about zero to do with it. If the company your gas station normally gets gas from gets its gas from a company that gets theirs from a texas refinery they may not be able to on short notice get fuel from somewhere else, plus there is just limited infrastructure and delivery vehicles. As far as this aspect, it's not really a political thing at all, it's a corporate/capitalist thing.
Furthermore..
In 2005, United States refineries produced over 90 percent of the gasoline used in the United States. Less than 40 percent of the crude oil used by U.S. refineries was produced in the United States. About 45 percent of gasoline produced in the United States comes from refineries in the U.S. Gulf Coast (including Texas and Louisiana).
Source: http://www.eia.doe.gov/neic/experts/contactexperts.htm
It's a common misconception, we import alot of oil but almost all of the gasoline is refined here. And then half of the capability is in the Texas/Louisiana area so gasoline prices are very much effected by hurricanes that hit that area (supply and demand economy). To complicate things even more our refineries are OLD, and there is little to no spare capacity in the refineries. 
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