Archive for July 2021
Refiners rebuffed again on RIN price pass-through
In an eight-year battle over Renewable Identification Numbers (RINS), refiners have failed to get much relief from their RIN obligations. Last Friday, July 16, 2021, an appeals court rejected their latest effort. The core issue was the “pass-through theory”, which says refiners’ RIN costs are recaptured in the market prices of the gasoline and diesel…
Read MoreHidden costs of Tier 3 gasoline hurt refiners’ gasoline production and profit margins
For the first time, US refiners are being challenged to meet the EPA’s Tier 3 10-ppm sulfur gasoline specification while making gasoline at full rates. This is causing an “octane/sulfur squeeze” which also puts the squeeze on gasoline production, crude flexibility and profit margin capture: Many US refineries are under-equipped to make Tier 3 gasoline…
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