“All Summer Long” – Impacts on Refiners of an E-15 Summertime RVP Waiver
By Beth Hilbourn and John Auers Although a little late for this summer season, the question of whether or not to extend the 1 psi waiver to E-15 (gasoline containing 15% ethanol) in the summer time...
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“Purple Haze” – Proposed Rule 1410
By Brian Mason Today we’ll talk about the proposed rule 1410 in California to potentially ban the use of hydrofluoric (HF) acid in California refineries. HF alkylation has been used in California since...
View Article2018 Oil and Money Conference – Notes From the Refining Session
John Auers Last week, I attended the 39th Annual Oil & Money Conference in London, a major energy event which is co-hosted by Energy Intelligence and The New York Times. This year, the conference...
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“La La La” – The Latest Rumblings in the Brazilian Refining Sector
By: John Auers and Robert Auers We have written frequently about the dramatic shift that has taken place in the U.S. refined product trade balance over the past few years. The U.S. has moved from the...
View ArticleBrazil’s oil industry braces for uncertainty as “Trump of the Tropics” wins...
Sam Davis and John Auers Last week, we highlighted some of the developments that have been taking place in the Brazilian downstream industry and how those have and will continue to impact Western...
View ArticleLet the Good Times Roll
Independent refiners take advantage of crude bottlenecks; see bright future from IMO opportunities Author: Sam Davis Earnings season has kicked off with a bang as U.S. Independent refiners posted...
View ArticleLet the Good Times Roll-Part 2
Authors: Brian Mason & Robert Auers This week, we will review the earnings calls for the Integrated Majors operating in the U.S. as a follow-up to last week’s blog which covered independent...
View ArticleSix months to IMO 2020: All systems go?
The IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) held its 74th session in May 2019 with key environmental topics on its agenda including its strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships....
View ArticleRFS Stays the Course
The Proposed 2020 RFS and 2021 biomass-based diesel RFS was announced by the EPA on July 5, 2019. The proposed regulation anticipates a flat-line course with the imputed corn ethanol still at 15.00...
View ArticleSuspicious Minds- Quality Challenges and Crude Oil Exports
This Turning Point blog is provided by Dennis Sutton. Following a 40-year career with Marathon Petroleum, Dennis is now principal of the consulting firm, PetroQual, and serves as the Executive...
View Article2020 Proposed RFS Stays the Course? – Maybe
The Proposed 2020 RFS and 2021 biomass-based diesel RFS was announced by the EPA on July 5, 2019. The proposed regulation anticipates a flat-line course with the imputed corn ethanol still at 15.00...
View Article“Nothing is Easy” – E15 Gets RVP Waiver Extension, but Significant Obstacles...
Just like ethanol blending in general, E15 (gasoline containing 15% ethanol) has long been a “political football” with refiners, automakers, ethanol makers, the farm lobby and environmentalists all...
View Article“I’d Love to Change the World” – Multiple TM&C Studies Analyze Impacts of...
The past few years have truly been eventful ones for the oil industry, both within the U.S. and throughout the world. We’ve seen major and potentially trend-setting developments in all segments of the...
View ArticleWhat Options Exist to Address Canadian Heavy Crude Bottlenecks?
All eyes continue to be on Canada as the main source for replacing the declines in heavy crude production from traditional Latin American producers, especially Mexico and Venezuela. While Canadian...
View Article“Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign” – Petroleum Fuel Regulations Become More...
The 1971 catchy tune “Signs,” by the otherwise forgettable Canadian rock group, “Five Man Electrical Band,” is an appropriate anthem for the ever changing regulatory environment facing the petroleum...
View ArticleUpdate on the Midstream: Keystone XL gains approval while Permian pipeline...
Pipeline project developments in Western Canada and the Permian continue to make news, albeit with different trend lines and under different regulatory environments. The three major pipeline projects...
View Article“We are the Champions” – How American workers have helped steer U.S. refiners...
We certainly hope everyone had an enjoyable and relaxing Labor Day weekend. As we return to work after this traditional “end of summer” holiday, which was created in the late 19th century to honor...
View ArticleYou Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet – Should Canadian producers be concerned about IMO...
The move to low sulfur bunker fuel coming in 2020 as a result of new regulations from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has been a frequent topic of this blog. While countries around the...
View ArticleRefinery Construction to Spike in 2019
Turner, Mason & Company will issue its latest edition of the Worldwide Refinery Construction Outlook (WRCO) this week. This bi-annual publication details all announced global refinery...
View ArticleSaudi Arabia Oil Attacks – Should U.S. Refiners be concerned?
On September 14, the Abqaiq processing center and the Khurais oil field were attacked by drones, resulting in a production cut of 5.7 MMBPD. The Abqaiq facility is the world’s largest oil processing...
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