Posted on 09/06/2005 9:23:20 AM PDT by .cnI redruM
This is a very good point. The oil companies may not want to look like they are siding with the environmentalists and NIMBY crowd but it serves their purposes to keep a comodity scarce and limit competition. Then it is interesting that the very leftists that oppose new refineries are compelled to hate the oil companies who wind up making huge windfall proffits during times of scaricity. The leftists who understand capitalism (and I am sure they are few and far between) must be going nuts when they see how easily their policies can be "used" against them.
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Well stated. Right on.
Partially that, and partially the wrong solutions.
ANWR has been way overemphasized, while tax credits for drilling is poisonous PR (and certainly unnecessary at 40+/bbl).
The idea recently floated about using former military bases as sites for some reserve refining capacity is EXACTLY what we need, a perfect end run around the enviros and NIMBYs.
It should have gotten started on approximately January 21, 2001.
Maybe a smaller footprint would enable more refineries to get past the tree huggers eyes.
Actually, hardly anybody noticed when the refinery was built and most would have trouble finding it right away. It's about as unobtrusive as it can be, and it is close enough to stand right downtown and hit the landscaped main gate with a rock.
Then the issue would be distribution of crude oil.
And having well-trained folks who would keep those things from blowing up.
How many drivers do you estimate it can serve? How many stations? (Whichever question makes sense :>)
The refinery could easily supply Fairbanks. Much of the product goes to the airport, and I believe some goes to the local military bases. The community has a pop of about 100,000.
The refinery was originally built by a local Alaska oil/gasoline company. They already had an oil source operating down around Anchorage and when the pipeline went by Fairbanks they negotiated a deal to siphon off a small amount at market. If somebody wants to pay market for crude it wouldn't be any big trick to build a small independent refinery most places. A businessman with a business mind could do it.
The George Mason economics department is solidly Austrian/libertarian. See here and here for starters.
Thanks for the links. The only thing I know about George Mason is that I live 5 miles away from it :)
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