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Codger · 05-30-2008, 11:37 AM

I do have more than a passing familiarity with the oil patch.
There are so many factors and players involved in that trip from the ground to the gasoline station that it's not easy to define who or what influences the final price. Nobody would enjoy the level of scrutiny being done of the industry if it were focused on themselves. There is so much speculation and finger pointing these days that perhaps some of the current attempts to clarify things in the public domain will at least make things understandable for more people.
It's a dirty dangerous industry. I mean that literally. We've all come to understand and try to be cleaner than we were. Not just the industry, but every man jack of us. Who actually gave it a second thought 30 years ago when they plugged the fuel hose in to an outboard and saw just how far that one or two drops of spilled gasoline spread out over the calm water on a sunny day.

Refineries are a whole other game. Nobody wants one close to where they live. I wouldn't want one within 20 miles of my residence either. The reality is that refineries should be built as close as possible to where the distillates will be used. Unfortunately as has been shown over and over, residential development will always be allowed to grow closer and closer to an installation. Look at the number of residential developments that have been allowed to grow up around airports as a perfect example of politicians on crack. Speaking of being on crack... I actually put some money in to the initial feasibility of building a refinery in California some time back. Ok mr county commissioner, we'll buy two thirds of the whole freakin county but we need assurance that you won't rezone this other part downwind for residential development. Oh, you want to tax us for the entire project area as if it was residential whether we build something on it or not since from your point of view we can obviously afford it. Good bye.
I think I'll go away now since I sure don't have the answers and I'm wondering if the script for the energy industry has been written by the same folks that came up with Fellini's Satyricon.

05-30-2008, 11:37 AM	#57
Codger YF Wisdom Dept. Join Date: May 2005 Location: Western Canada Posts: 874	I do have more than a passing familiarity with the oil patch. There are so many factors and players involved in that trip from the ground to the gasoline station that it's not easy to define who or what influences the final price. Nobody would enjoy the level of scrutiny being done of the industry if it were focused on themselves. There is so much speculation and finger pointing these days that perhaps some of the current attempts to clarify things in the public domain will at least make things understandable for more people. It's a dirty dangerous industry. I mean that literally. We've all come to understand and try to be cleaner than we were. Not just the industry, but every man jack of us. Who actually gave it a second thought 30 years ago when they plugged the fuel hose in to an outboard and saw just how far that one or two drops of spilled gasoline spread out over the calm water on a sunny day. Refineries are a whole other game. Nobody wants one close to where they live. I wouldn't want one within 20 miles of my residence either. The reality is that refineries should be built as close as possible to where the distillates will be used. Unfortunately as has been shown over and over, residential development will always be allowed to grow closer and closer to an installation. Look at the number of residential developments that have been allowed to grow up around airports as a perfect example of politicians on crack. Speaking of being on crack... I actually put some money in to the initial feasibility of building a refinery in California some time back. Ok mr county commissioner, we'll buy two thirds of the whole freakin county but we need assurance that you won't rezone this other part downwind for residential development. Oh, you want to tax us for the entire project area as if it was residential whether we build something on it or not since from your point of view we can obviously afford it. Good bye. I think I'll go away now since I sure don't have the answers and I'm wondering if the script for the energy industry has been written by the same folks that came up with Fellini's Satyricon.