From November of 2004:
But even as the peak summer driving season winds down, U.S. refiners continue to operate nearly flat out. As of this week, the industry is producing gasoline and other end products at something like 98 percent of capacity. And with the overall growth in demand for motor fuels and heating oil showing no signs of slowing, prices will continue to be driven as much by tight refining capacity as by the recent run-up in crude prices. Heating oil inventories are roughly at average levels for this time of year, but prices continue to climb. That’s due in part to concerns that prices could spike on any interruption in production — anything from a longer-than-scheduled maintenance shutdown to emergency repair or fire.
The recent incident at a refinery in Texas illustrates how the source of crude oil is not the only factor in the complex world of energy production. Perusing the featured presentations on petroleum at the US Department of Energy quickly reveals just how many components play a role in prices and production levels, and not just of gasoline, although that particular product might be the most obvious to the average citizen.
Petroleum products (not solely gasoline and diesel but also aviation fuel and a multitude of solvents and other organic chemicals) are not only vital to our national security from the standpoint of keeing our military supplied, but they are also the lifeblood of our economy.
The more complicated the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain.
Is it possible that our energy policy is a larger national security issue meriting far more attention and care for designing a strategy than was shown in the secret meetings of oil industry executives with the Vice President?