What's Going On With Unleaded Gas Availability?

[Frustratedlady]

I heard on the local radio station that Iowa stations were having problems getting unleaded gas and would have to buy from other states. Since I was heading home, I decided I'd best fill the tank in case there was a problem in my area. All the pumps had notes that they were out of everything but premium.

Other states having that problem? What's going on?

[primative1]

1. Refinery utilzation is way down ..

And dropping (@80 %). The braniacs in the big oil companies are somehow surprised that demand goes up in the summer and instead have met that demand by shutting down refineries.
On the up side they will be rewarded for their ignorance by ever higher prices. Its like hybred gouging.
Enjoy the long summer.

[Whoa_Nelly]

2. Iowa

http://www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070501/NEWS09/70501029

[Coyote_Bandit]

3. Over the weekend

there was a large refinery fire near Oklahoma City. Two storage tanks burned. Struck by lightening. Folks who lived nearby were evacuated sometime Friday and not allowed to return until sometime late Sunday afternoon.

[ret5hd]

4. and Oklahoma City

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070428/ap_on_re_us/tank_fire

[Frustratedlady]

5. Thanks for the articles.

They explain a lot.

[snowbear]

6. Remember: Bush wants to drill off Gulf of Mexico, Virginia, and Alaska....

And Congress will be debating the three areas soon.

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne will announce a program to hold 20 offshore oil and gas lease sales over the next five years for tracts in federal waters on the Outer Continental Shelf — including acreage in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as off the coasts of Alaska and Virginia.

The area they want to drill in Alaska is in Bristol Bay, which was closed to drilling after the Exxon Valdez oil spill that occurred there.

If gas is closing in on $4.00 a gallon when the debate comes up.. the public will be much more open to drilling in these areas and Congress will be pressured.

[fed-up]

7. here in California at my local station they did NOT get delivery of UL on Sat or Sun

something is up bigtime

I wonder why it is not making the news, then again I try not to watch our local news unless I am wanting to see if they cover any of our protests. :)