One significant issue is that US refineries were generally designed for heavier, more sour crudes than WTI. Processing the light crude from US shale at a typically US refinery will generally result in lower capacity than processing crude from Canada and Venezuela. Furthermore, the processing of biofuels is a huge capacity killer for refineries (thanks California).
Given the toxic tone and lack of leadership in Washington, no one is going to spend the billions of dollars to retool a US refinery for more readily available feedstocks. Words have consequences Brandon.
Last edited: Jun 17, 2022