They are operating at 97 to 100% capacity and cannot meet demand. We need more.
What the left won't tell you about fuel prices right now
- Thread starter Diogenes
- Start date
I refute your claim and you resort to outright lies? If you claim I cherry picked data then present the data you think I didn't include that would support your claim that current prices are the result of Biden shutting down refineries.
I love how you deny what prices were when Biden left office. The cause for higher gas prices under Biden in 2022 were the result of Covid which resulted in reduced need for petroleum products and then production took a while to catch up to increasing demand when the economy opened up again.
You made the claim that Biden shut down refineries. That is a false claim since the number of refineries was the same when Biden left office as when he entered. Using the data when Biden entered office and when he left office is not cherry picking. It shows exactly what happened to refineries while he was in office.
The US is exporting about 50% more diesel per week than it did prior to Trump's Iran fiasco.
Yes, that description is substantially accurate for mid-to-late 2026.
U.S. refiners have been running near practical maximums, distillate (diesel + heating oil) inventories are tight, and the system has little spare capacity to cover combined domestic use plus elevated exports.
Utilization rates
EIA weekly data for the week ending September 11, 2026 showed national operable capacity utilization at 97.5% (97.6% the prior week). Late-August weeks reached 98.0%, the highest since 2018. Midwest (PADD 2) rates have exceeded 100% on a calendar-day basis in recent weeks; Gulf Coast rates have stayed in the high 97s.
Rates in the mid-to-high 90s are treated as “full tilt.” Refineries can briefly exceed 100% of rated calendar-day capacity, but sustained operation near these levels leaves almost no headroom for maintenance, unplanned outages, or extra diesel yield. Operable U.S. distillation capacity is also lower than pre-pandemic peaks (around 18.03 million b/d recently vs. nearly 19 million earlier).
Demand and inventories
Distillate production has been strong (often 5.1–5.3 million b/d), but demand on U.S. refiners—domestic consumption plus exports—has frequently exceeded output, producing inventory draws. Distillate stocks have run well below five-year seasonal averages (recent figures around 106–108 million barrels). EIA’s Short-Term Energy Outlook projected inventories falling below 100 million barrels in September 2026 and staying below the five-year low into 2027.
A large share of U.S. distillate is exported (often ~1.3–1.8 million b/d recently, well above earlier norms). Global disruptions (Strait of Hormuz/Iran-related outages, Russian refining damage and export curbs) have pulled more U.S. product overseas. High prices have also begun to curb some domestic demand, which is why stocks have not collapsed even faster.
Bottom line
Refineries are running as hard as they reasonably can and still cannot fully balance the market without drawing inventories. Additional output would require more capacity, delayed maintenance (already happening), or weaker export demand. That combination—near-max utilization plus low stocks plus strong export pull—is why diesel cracks and pump prices have been elevated. The situation is a capacity and global-balance issue more than a crude-oil shortage.
Diesel Refineries Hit 97-100% Capacity | Shared Grok Conversation
Is it true that diesel refineries in the USA are operating at 97 to 100% capacity and cannot meet de
grok.com
You never grew up though " as evidenced by your child like video game playing".....but you damn sure GREW OUT. Wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy OUT!
If we had the capacity here, that would not be the case. Do some research dunce.
What a typical limp waisted meltdowns from the left when asked for facts. Why did diesel and fuel spike under the B
Identify admin? Get those balls out your face and answer up,
He's a leftist.
It was "Putin's fault", wasn;t it?
WE have the capacity. We are sending diesel produced in the US overseas because they can no longer get the oil from the middle east thanks to Trump.
Why are you unable to provide any facts to back up your idiocy?
Tell us which refineries were shut down when Biden was President. Until you do that you are showing you are an idiot in a cult.
I guess that explains why I posted actual facts.
What is your excuse for not posting facts?
What happened is messier: some plants closed or converted after the 2020 demand crash, some converted to renewable diesel for credit economics.
What actually closed or converted
The big 2020 wave (Convent/Shell, Martinez/Marathon conversion, Cheyenne, Gallup, Dickinson) was decided when COVID crushed fuel demand — before or right at the start of the term. Phillips 66 Alliance (Belle Chasse) was wrecked by Hurricane Ida in 2021 and became a terminal. Later West Coast moves (Rodeo conversion) were company decisions under tight California rules.
Several conversions were to renewable diesel, not abandonment of distillate. That is still a diesel-range fuel; it is just made from fats/oils instead of crude. Those projects chased LCFS/RFS credits. That is policy-adjacent.
Long-term, fewer new crude refineries get built in the U.S. because of cost, permitting, and climate policy signaling. California’s rules and renewable-fuel credits pulled some West Coast barrels out of crude refining. That is a real structural pressure.
ZenMode
Well-known member
The graph below shows gas prices over the last year. The red dot, that I added, shows approximately when the US attacked Iran.
Thoughts?
Are you under the impression that disproves anything I've said? Thoughts?
ZenMode
Well-known member
I would avoid the question too if I were you.
The only question you posed was "thoughts". You got mine,
You aren't me, but you avoided the question you were asked.
ZenMode
Well-known member
Right and you didn't give your thoughts. Since you are implying that the actual cause of gas prices isn't the war in Iran, but is a refinery outage, I asked for your thoughts on the graph I posted.
I implied nothing. Any inference you drew is yours alone. I asked why you might have considered the graph you posted could be a refutation of anything I've posted. You still haven't answered.
Thoughts?
ZenMode
Well-known member
Oh, ok. I goes the title of the thread was just a coincidence, also and the thread is meant to be informational, only.
