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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Environmental Protection Agency is issuing an emergency fuel waiver to help alleviate gasoline shortages in four Midwest states after the shutdown of a refinery in Illinois.
Exxon Mobil shut down its refinery in Joliet, Illinois, last month after a power outage when tornadoes and severe storms swept through the region. Power has been restored, but it can take weeks to restart a facility like the Exxon Mobil refinery about 40 miles outside of Chicago, which can produce about 9 million gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel per day.
In addition to Illinois, the waiver was approved by the EPA for Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan.
Federal rules mandate the sale of low Reid Vapor Pressure gasoline during the summer months because a higher RVP evaporates more easily and can add to ozone pollution and smog. That is what is being waived temporarily, along with reformulated gasoline requirements for the four states. Reformulated gasoline is blended to burn more cleanly than conventional gasoline and to reduce pollutants in the air.
The waiver will continue through Aug. 20.
Gas prices in the four states spiked higher after the storms and all have gasoline that costs more than $3.45 a gallon on average, according to AAA.
In Illinois, it’s approximately $4 a gallon, which is currently among the highest in the country. Gas prices in California and Washington are over $4 a gallon, where higher gas prices are more typical.
Indiana’s average gas price Thursday was $3.55 per gallon, but Marion County’s price was $3.48, matching the national average, according to AAA.
Prices in the northwest part of the state reached as high as $4.01 per gallon.
The EPA and Department of Energy evaluated the situation, as required by law, and determined that granting a short-term waiver was in the public’s best interest.
The EPA and DOE are continuing to actively monitor the fuel supply situation caused by the refinery shutdown and are considering additional measures to help alleviate its impact.
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Of course, the higher gas prices will be blamed by many on Biden and not the oil refinery shutdown
Probably. But then again, unless someone tells him, it is unlikely he’ll ever find out in his current diminished mental state. And if they do tell him, it is unlikely he’ll remember. And no, I’m not a Trump supporter. Shame on us as an electorate that we were headed for a Biden – Trump rematch before those who had been hiding Biden’s limitations finally grasped that Biden was losing to Trump pretty significantly in the polls and then decided to “suddenly realize” Biden’s mental issues – which had been apparent for some time (as more and more reports surface from people that had not come forward previously). I’m no Biden supporter, but I didn’t think his debate performance was as bad as a number of his other (unscripted) public appearances he’s had over the past couple years [e.g., wandering off in a number of settings…]. I thought it was odd and more than a little disingenuous that his debate performance was seized upon by those who wanted to drop him because he was trailing in the polls. If he wasn’t trailing, would they have pressured him to step aside? Very doubtful.
Why so few refineries?
From Forbes:
“Here is the thing many do not understand about refining. It is a boom and bust business, and these refiners do not have crystal balls. It is widely reported when they make huge profits, but they also regularly endure huge losses.
U.S. energy policy has been clear about the intent to phase out fossil fuels. If you are a refiner forecasting billions in losses — and you require massive investments in order to keep your refinery operating safely and in compliance with the laws — you may very well simply make the decision to close down.”
Somebody ought to comment on the tax load Indiana adds to a gallon of gasoline when evaluating high fuel prices in our great Hoosier state.
Upcoming election ploy.
How gracious the EPA is to let us have lower gas prices! Praise be to the almighty bureaucracy! If only they didn’t put rules in place to shut down refineries to “transition” to unreliable and expensive electricity cars.