Study: California refineries operated during periods blamed for gas price spikes

[Newsjock]

Source: McClatchy Newspapers

West Coast gasoline price spikes in May and October were widely blamed on refinery outages, but new research to be released at a California hearing Thursday shows that refiners continued to produce gasoline in periods when the public was told the contrary.

The information, shared exclusively with McClatchy, comes from Oregon-based McCullough Research, which combed through thousands of pages of environmental documents to conclude that refineries were in fact operating during supposed outages and maintenance shutdowns.

Specifically, the report alleges that in May, at a time when Royal Dutch Shell’s Martinez, Calif., plant was reported to be down for maintenance for two weeks, it appears to have been making gasoline for at least half that time. That conclusion is reached from state environmental documents showing nitrogen oxide emissions had returned to normal at the refinery a full week before it was reported to have come back on line.

Similarly, Chevron’s Richmond, Calif., refinery was reported down for maintenance for two weeks in May, but emissions data suggests the refinery never ceased operation.

Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/11/14/174662/california-refineries-operated.html

[dlwickham]

1. very interesting

someone is going to have to provide some answers

[McCamy Taylor]

2. Price manupulation by the refiners themselves.

No doubt intended to hurt Obama's reelection chances. I hope the DOJ brings the hammer down on them. They deserve to be nationalized, but since that will never happen at least send some of them to jail.

[DCKit]

4. Nah, huge punative fines. At least they'll finally pay some "taxes".nt

[robinlynne]

8. this DOJ?

[tinrobot]

9. If they were influencing the election, California ain't the place to try.

California is kind of a lock for Democrats.

If they wanted to manipulate prices to influence the vote, then a swing state would have been a much better target.

[adieu]

11. Monopoly

That's what happens when entities have an effective monopoly.

[truthisfreedom]

3. oops.

This will get more interesting, methinks.

[Smilo]

5. Not surprised and why does their

supposed maintenance - which they know is coming make gas more expensive? If it was another business I would say lousy management skills - but I know it is just price-gouging.

Late October gas was $4.50 in NV while in TX it was $3.11.

[justice1]

6. When are we going to get the investigations we were promised?

[defacto7]

7. I didn't know we were promised any.

I just heard rumors... and hoped... and still hope.

[gtar100]

10. The oil industry is humanity's worst nightmare come true.

They are leaches on life itself. Maybe once it served a purpose, but now it stifles innovation and holds us hostage just so a small segment of humanity can be rich. The sooner this cash cow is eliminated the better. It's humanity's biggest test - can it set aside it's desire for immediate gratification in order to gain long-term health, happiness, and freedom. It's not America that's addicted to oil (as Bush said), it's the investors that are the addicts. And until they start demanding social responsibility out of these companies, they are leading us to a quick, meaningless, and painful death.

[Dustlawyer]

17. Having been in litigation with BP since 2005, when they blew up their Texas City plant, and now

with the BP Gulf Oil Spill, I can safely say that you ae 100% correct in your assessment. They do not care about human life except to the extent that it costs them money. If they can make more money, but have to kill to do it, they will! They bought Obama before the 2010 midterm elections when folks were calling the oil spil, "Obama's Katrina." There was never a 20 billion dollar fund! The media moved on and BP set about screwing the victims. They bought off the Republican governors who have not complained about BP not paying the victims in their states. They bought off the Plaintiffs Steering Committee so they could shove this "Class Action" down the throats of the victims, all in plain sight! BP runs so many commercials and ads that the media will not say boo about BP unless asked to run BP's propaganda! This is going on now, but you hear very little of it. The sea life in the Gulf is dying off, there is no longer any white Gulf shrimp, few crabs and the oysters are about gone. In Apalachicola, the Bay is dead and even Gov. Rick Scott declared it a "Fisheries Disaster!" Wake up America!

[GreenTea]

12. Oil corporations helping republicans in hopes that Obama got the blame before the election

for high prices at the pumps - and to keep economy in check from preforming well and of course the sleazy greedy oil companies making huge profits along with receiving billions in subsidies from our tax dollars while gouging us all at the pumps...Despicable corporate pigs.

[Coyotl]

16. Ding, ding!

and they did it before too

[Cleita]

13. It seemed pretty obvious to me how contrived the crisis was.

But as an ordinary citizen, all I can do is conjecture. I'm glad that those who can report on this are digging up the truth.

[yends21012]

14. Is the reign of criminals and swindlers finally beginning to end?

[Historic NY]

15. Its all part of the smoke & mirrors lie they always use....

I been saying it for years.