EPRINC briefing
US Refining Industry
30 publications
Briefing summary
U.S. Gulf Coast refineries account for 55% of national refining capacity and remain optimized for medium and heavy sour crudes, sustaining reliance on imports from Canada, Mexico, and Venezuela even amid abundant domestic light crude.
What is driving US refinery closures, especially in PADD 1?
How do regulations affect refinery product slates and economics?
ReportUpdated and Fully Revised – Gasoline Blending: An EPRINC PrimerIn its current form, gasoline is a blend of several components, most of which are derived from crude oil; the remaining balance is from agricultural…Jun 2024TestimonyTestimony on February 24, 2016 by Lucian Pugliaresi before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment& Public Works, Now With Follow-Up Questions And ResponsesLucian Pugliaresi testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works on February 24, 2016. The topic was the Renewable…Apr 2016TestimonyTestimony on EPA/RFS, recent presentations by EPRINC staffLou’s written testimony is available here (PDF). Trisha Curtis presented on May 30 before Hart Energy’s DUG Bakken and Niobrara conference in…Jun 2013ReportThe Cost of Banning No. 6 Oil in New York CityHowever, local petroleum product markets are not immune to turmoil in world oil markets as is now taking place in Libya. The loss of Libyan crude…Feb 2011ReportFull Report Examining the U.S. Refining Industry under Waxman-Markey PostedThe full version of EPRINC’s report examining the fate of the U.S. refining industry under the American Clean Energy and Security Act (commonly…Nov 2009ReportThe Future of the U.S. Refining Industry Under Waxman-MarkeyA PDF version of the executive summary can be downloaded here and is posted on our publication page. The full report will be posted on our website…Nov 2009ChartWest Coast Product Receipts: The Jones Act Waiver’s Sixfold SurgeCombined April and May 2026 waterborne receipts of Gulf Coast petroleum products into the U.S. West Coast reached 377 thousand barrels per day,…Chart 2026-27ChartThe Cost Impact of President Trump’s Tariffs on U.S. Crude Oil Imports from Canada and Mexico: A First AssessmentApplying the tariff rates set out in President Trump's February 1, 2025 Executive Orders, the added annual cost of U.S. crude oil imports from…Chart 2025-06PressEnergy Policy Research Distinguished Fellow Michael Lynch on U.S. Oil Tariffs on CanadaEnergy Policy Research Foundation Distinguished Fellow Michael Lynch examines U.S. oil tariffs on Canada. Readers can find his analysis at Forbes.Feb 2025
How does refining capacity affect fuel security?
ReportDo Higher Oil and Gas Taxes Pose a Threat to U.S. Energy Security?(For Footnotes Please Download the PDF Version of This Report) Policy debates over taxes on domestic oil and natural gas operations are a…Aug 2009ChartCalifornia’s Gasoline Price Premium: A Decade of DivergenceIn 2016 California's gasoline premium over the U.S. national average was 40 cents per gallon (18%). By 2026 it had grown to $1.11 per gallon (30%),…Chart 2026-28ChartDisplacing European Energy Imports from Russia with U.S. Exports – The Case of Petroleum ProductsThe United States exports roughly 3.1 million barrels per day of petroleum products, of which about 550,000 barrels per day flow to Europe—a share…Chart 2025-37ChartUkrainian Strikes on Russian Refineries and Global and U.S. Product MarketsSince January 2024, Ukrainian drone strikes have damaged 14 Russian refineries and 9 terminals, impairing an estimated 1.3 mbd of refining capacity…Chart 2024-13ChartRevisited: Overview of Tight Distillate MarketsRecovering global demand and new applications, together with reduced refining capacity and lower global inventories, have pushed distillate (diesel…Chart 2022-41ChartOverview of Tight Global Distillate MarketsGlobal demand recovery and new applications, combined with declines in refining capacity and inventories, are driving distillate (diesel and heating…Chart 2022-17PressEPRINC’s Larry Goldstein and Trisha Curtis are Quoted in New York Times ArticleAbout 75 percent of Bakken oil production travels by rail and as much as 400,000 barrels a day heads to the East Coast, said Trisha Curtis, an…Mar 2014
What role do oil sands and heavy crude play for Gulf Coast refiners?
ChartVenezuela: U.S. Crude Oil Imports and Diluent AvailabilityU.S. crude oil imports from Venezuela have fallen from 730 thousand barrels per day (9.25% of total requirements) before the 2019 sanctions to about…Chart 2026-02ChartCrude Oil and Product Movements: The North American Production PlatformThe chart maps the crude oil and refined product flows that integrate the U.S., Canadian, and Mexican energy markets, showing that Canada and Mexico…Chart 2025-05ChartU.S. Gulf Coast Refineries Continuing Reliance on Medium and Heavy Sour Crude Oil ImportsRefineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast, which account for 55% of U.S. refining capacity and are optimized for medium and heavy sour crudes, continue…Chart 2024-20Op-EdWSJ Opinion: Keystone Can Help the Gulf—and the NortheastBy LUCIAN PUGLIARESI Opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline comes in many forms. Former House speaker and current Democratic Minority Leader…Feb 2012CommentaryAmerican Fuels – Opportunities and Challenges for the U.S. Refining IndustryThe upstream production gains provide an opportunity for stable earnings for U.S. refiners and higher production of the entire range of petroleum…Jan 2012CommentaryExports, Imports, and Energy SecurityDecember 21, 2011 (Download PDF version for citations) Over the past 18 months EPRINC has published several assessments on the economic…Jan 2012CommentaryThe Value of the Canadian Oil Sands (….to the United States)The pipeline would permit the shipment of increased volumes of heavy crudes to U.S. Gulf Coast refiners from expanded oil sands production sourced…Nov 2010
Further research
ChartERCOT: Freezin’ Down in Texas – Mid-Winter 2022-2023 Generation Mix, Shortfalls, and Refinery UtilizationDuring the winter of 2022-2023, two waves of extreme cold forced Texas' ERCOT grid into repeated generation shortfalls, with natural gas supplying…Chart 2023-06ChartCracks appear to be improving …Refining crack spreads appear to be recovering, suggesting improving margins across the sector.Chart 11EventEmbassy Event Presentations: North American Petroleum Infrastructure, at the Norwegian Ambassador’s ResidenceThe event agenda and presentations (pdf) can be accessed below: Agenda: Infrastructure Challenges and the North American Petroleum Renaissance – May…Jun 2013PressEPRINC Featured in SIGMA MagazineEPRINC’s “Running on Fumes” paper, written by Lucian Pugliaresi, Larry Goldstein, and Will Pack, was recently published in SIGMA Magazine’s 2018…Dec 2017PressAsian Refiners Get Squeezed by U.S. Energy BoomThe Wall Street Journal examines how Asian refiners are being squeezed by the U.S. energy boom. Readers can find the full article at The Wall Street…Jan 2014