There are quite a few disturbing facets to this article. (Bechtel training workers...hiring foreign workers because there aren't enough "skilled workers" in the US)...
Some U.S. refiners are shy about expanding at home, where demand for fuel grows slowly. Instead, they're building overseas, where the appetite for fuel is more ravenous.
In the U.S., Shell and Saudi Aramco have a strategy of building a high-tech refinery that can handle the worst – and cheapest – types of crude oil. Doing so keeps costs low and profit margins as wide as possible.
On Monday, Mr. al-Khayyal complained about U.S. officials considering restrictions on foreign investments. But he said he hears a lot from President Bush's administration about "needing to continue our partnership."
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/121107dnbusrefinery.2894c91.html