The president cannot force companies to build refineries. With that said, the Port Arthur, TX refineries are expanding as we speak.
A President who understand the oil business can certainly do a lot behind the scenes and in front to encourage certain industrial policies. He can move legislation to incentivize industrial behaviors in the public interest. This may appear to be rocket science to Mumbles, but there certainly is ample historical precedent. BTW, that's what Presidents do. The refinery capacity issue is a dropped ball. Period. The oil companies will naturally want to increase capacity for $5/gal gasoline. The trick a competent industrial policy leader just might want to consider is using the political arts to get them to increase production before artificial shortages of America's most needed commodity tank the economy.
With that said, the Port Arthur, TX refineries are expanding as we speak.
Big whoop. Refinery capacity is up 10% from 1995. That's not enough to even supply GW's illegally licensed illegal aliens with gasoline enough to commute to the jobs "Americans won't do." Besides, supplies are so tight that if even one of the "super-refineries" goes on the blink, fuel prices skyrocket ... this is a serious issue.
Bottom line: we have an oil man in the White House for 8 years and we get no oil policy. Listen up. I like George Bush. I appreciate the historic stand he has taken against islamofascism. But as an effective President, as a domestic leader and as a party leader especially, he has been an embarrassment who has played our future right into the hands of the other party, the patriotism of which I sincerely doubt. That's not good.