Question for Foodies.........

Hey Bill,

Care to share the wealth.....

Dan, not sure what you mean?

The problem we have isn't the refineries only operating at 50%; it's that we have only 50% of the refineries we should have, as eco-whackos have stopped us from having any more refineries in the last 30 years.

Regardless of what one might believe the reason to be, that's a very accurate statement. I fully expect when the Gulf hurricane season produces the first "big one" gas will go over $4 a gallon based on fears of losing refining capacity in the Gulf.

It's not about believing a reason in the sense that this is a political issue. It is a simple fact that refineries have drastically cut back the amount of oil that they are refining into fuel in the past year. Most are operating at 50% capacity. This is not a partisan statement. It is a simple fact, like cigarettes are bad for you.

Now, it is true that more refineries would help, but am I the only one who sees the irony in making an argument for doubling the number of refineries rather than just operating the ones we have at 100% when the result would be the same increase in the amount of oil produced.

I like driving....and.....I like breathing. One of these I cannot do without so I am trying to figure how not to breath. I WILL figure it out.

According to this report from the government agency that reports such (the Energy Information Agency), US refineries have operated at between 75% and 95% of capacity for the past several years.

http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/hist/mopueus2m.htm

yes, there were operating at that capacity until very recently (2007), and then they dropped to 50% and then the cost of fuel went way up. Cause & Effect.

On the otherhand, if the problem was just the number of refineries is not a new thing, it's been that way since 1976.

yes, there were operating at that capacity until very recently (2007), and then they dropped to 50% and then the cost of fuel went way up. Cause & Effect.

On the otherhand, if the problem was just the number of refineries is not a new thing, it's been that way since 1976.

Im not saying you are wrong just that the population difference in 76 is a lot different now so the amount of refineries being a problem is increasing in importance every day. I dont see that there will be much change until the economy proves that it is a bad process. So it's gonna hurt when China decides to slow down. That over 13000 dow will splash down to where it should be without the China boom.

Bill, Joking a little bit.

Gas has definitly hit me. Since 5/21 $60.00 spent in Gas. Have to use mid-grade. Work, Kids, etc. So, Im grilling out at home alot more these days.

Hey, there's another thread subject, favorite grillin foods.

At $65.00 per barrel, why? When this whole gas issue started over a year ago, price per barrrel was almost $80.00. I remember hearing on the news that in order to justify $3.50 or more per gallon the cost per barrel would need to reach $90 - $92.00. Too much smoke being blown around in D.C. and through the Oil Companies that keep providing excuses simply to passify the consumer. The writing is on the wall. Why don't we read it for what it is.

Great, now I'm cranky again...

As a related cost, more and more corn is going to make ethanol. Net result: the price of beef is skyrocketing! (big NYTimes article yesterday on this) Restaurant beef is going way up in price due to the double whamny of more expensive feed plus added costs of transporting heavy beef.

Even in retail, not only is prime a thing of the past, but Kroger hasn't had a sale on anything other than "select" grade in almost 6 months now.

While seen on beef first, virtually all protein (other than fish) will be impacted by corn increases.

[Robin Garr]

As a related cost, more and more corn is going to make ethanol. Net result: the price of beef is skyrocketing! (big NYTimes article yesterday on this) Restaurant beef is going way up in price due to the double whamny of more expensive feed plus added costs of transporting heavy beef.

Even in retail, not only is prime a thing of the past, but Kroger hasn't had a sale on anything other than "select" grade in almost 6 months now.

While seen on beef first, virtually all protein (other than fish) will be impacted by corn increases.

Small nit: This applies entirely to feedlot cattle. Grass-fed beef (like the Green River steaks sold at Doll's and the co-branded Palermo Viejo beef sold at the Mid-City Mall Valu) should not be affected, because those happy bovines aren't fattened on corn, as I understand it. (And I got a couple of beautiful rib eyes on sale for $10.49 a pound the other day, and a couple of Palermo filets marked down to $9.99 - because their pull date was approaching.)

The "Eco-whackos" have been responsible for the fact that no new nuclear power plants have been opened since 1996. This is a good alternative and can decrease the use of fossil fuels. The technology since Three Mile Island has improved significantly to make it safer.

Then an electric car will make sense.

2 cents

Never mind that Joe. The US Navy has been using nuclear power without incident for decades. That would do wonders as well.

You’re right, my son, a land-based Navy pilot (yes, they exist), has to frequently go to sea to keep his carrier qualifications up to date. At this point in his career, I believe that he has flown off all the Nimitz class (nuclear) carriers. They date back to 1975 and, according to my son, all their nuclear parts are in great shape.

[Robin Garr]

Never mind that Joe. The US Navy has been using nuclear power without incident for decades. That would do wonders as well.

It's foolish to be scared of nuclear power just because it's nuclear. But when it comes to land-based power plants, the record of private industry, even under state and federal regulation, is mighty sorry. You don't have to look at Chernobyl: Consider Three Mile Island. Or for that matter, does anybody remember Marble Hill near Madison, Ind., where Public Service Indiana did such a bad job of supervising sleazy contractors that an expensive project had to be abandoned halfway done?

Nuclear power, fine. But only if we can come up with controls to ensure that corporate greed doesn't trump the public safety.

Sounds sort of like the old chain restaurant argument, in a way ...

Can someone provide a source for the refineries at 50% capacity statement?
I don't really understand the statistics, but this page at the Energy Information Administration seems to say that U.S. refineries are operating at >85%.
Energy Information Administration

We are eating out less to save money and conserve gas. next car is definitely a hybrid.

P.S. read a story in Wired magazine in the last 6 months about a former head of the Sierra Club who supports nuclear power. The French get a good bit of their electricity from nuclear and have for many years. So far, I haven't seen any glow in the dark Bordeaux.

[Robin Garr]

The French get a good bit of their electricity from nuclear and have for many years. So far, I haven't seen any glow in the dark Bordeaux.

Nuclear power is pretty much a non-issue all over Europe, as far as I can tell. As noted above, it's a matter of regulation and taking appropriate steps to ensure that corporate greed doesn't compromise public safety. With that understood, it's arguable that nuclear is gentler on the earth than coal, with its fossil-fuel, acid rain and serious air-pollution problems.