July 18, 2012:

WOODS CROSS — HollyFrontier’s Woods Cross Refinery announced plans Tuesday to add pollution control equipment that could reduce sulfur dioxide emissions by more than 90 percent. The new pollution control equipment is part of an estimated $250 million expansion that will reduce refinery emissions, HollyFrontier officials said. The move comes in a show of support for Gov. Gary R. Herbert’s U-CAIR initiative to improve the state’s air quality. The new equipment will reduce sulfur dioxide emission by about 150 tons per year, according to company officials. Herbert said he applauds HollyFrontier for its support of the initiative. “Only by working together can we improve our air quality,” Herbert said in a prepared statement. “Whether it’s industry like HollyFrontier making changes to how they operate, or an individual choosing to limit idling in their car, every change we make results in cleaner air.”

The pollution control upgrade by HollyFrontier is not required under its current air-quality permit, said Division of Air Quality Director Bryce Bird. The refinery staff is to be credited for coming up with the innovative control technique, which will redirect effluent from the sulfur recovery unit to a wet gas scrubber in another unit, Woods Cross Refinery Manager Lynn Keddington said. “We wanted to do our part and show our commitment to improving our air quality, so we challenged our employees and consultants to look at how we could go above and beyond what was required for our expansion project to help reduce emission and support U-CAIR,” he said. “We understand it’s a privilege to conduct business in this community," Keddington said. “That’s why we are working hard to be proactive and be a good corporate citizen.”

It is commendable when a source that emits air pollution voluntarily reduces its emission levels, said Karen Hevel-Mingo, executive director for Breathe Utah. “Any time we get any type of reduction in pollution, that is a good thing,” Hevel-Mingo said. Still, there is a need to reduce the demand for vehicle travel by making smart trips, which in turn would reduce the need for refineries having to expand, she said. Breathe Utah is a nonprofit organization whose aim is to improve Utah’s air quality. The HollyFrontier refinery, built in 1932, currently processes 650,000 gallons of gasoline per day and 365,000 gallons of diesel fuel. About 60 percent of what it produces is sold in Utah, officials said.

By Standard.net

July 18, 2012:

Neste Oil's diesel line 4 at Porvoo back on-stream after maintenance. Maintenance work on diesel production line 4 at Neste Oil's Porvoo refinery has been completed and the line has been brought back on-stream ahead of schedule. The line was down for planned and unplanned maintenance for most of the second quarter. Production outages at the Porvoo refinery, together with a major turnaround at the Naantali refinery, reduced Oil Products' additional margin over the Neste Oil reference refining margin, and resulted in this being only slightly positive during the second quarter. As previously announced, maintenance work originally scheduled for the fall was carried out during the outage at Porvoo this summer, and the next planned maintenance turnaround on production line 4 remains scheduled for the first half of 2013. Neste Oil's guidance for its overall 2012 result remains unchanged: Oil Products' full-year comparable operating profit is expected to improve compared to 2011, assuming that Neste Oil's reference refining margin remains at last year's level.

Neste Oil Corporation

Hanna Maula

Director, Corporate Communications

Further information:

Ilkka Salonen, CFO, tel. +358 10 458 4490

Neste Oil in brief

Neste Oil Corporation is a refining and marketing company concentrating on low-emission, high-quality traffic fuels. The company produces a comprehensive range of major petroleum products and is the world's leading supplier of renewable diesel. Neste Oil had net sales of EUR 15.4 billion in 2011 and employs around 5,000 people, and is listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki. Neste Oil is included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and the Ethibel Pioneer Investment Register, and has featured in The Global 100 list of the world's most sustainable corporations for a number of years. Forest Footprint Disclosure (FFD) has ranked Neste Oil as one of the best performers in the oil & gas sector. Further information: www.nesteoil.com

By Reuters

July 18, 2012:

BP Products North America Inc. announced on July 12 that it has reached an agreement with the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to settle 409 of the 439 remaining citations issued to the BP Texas City Refinery in 2009. “BP is committed to workplace safety. A strong relationship with OSHA is part of that commitment,” said Iain Conn, BP’s global head of Refining & Marketing.  as part of the agreement, BP will pay a civil penalty of $13 million. Excluded from the settlement are 30 citations that BP and OSHA will continue to discuss.  BP says it has made major improvements in safety and environmental compliance at the Texas City Refinery. The company spent more than $1 billion on safety and infrastructure improvements at the refinery between 2005 and 2009 and allocated another $500 million for activities specified in the 2010 settlement agreement. The work that BP has performed for the 2010 agreement has been verified by independent experts as well as OSHA to ensure consistent implementation and compliance with standards.

In addition to the investments in refurbishing and updating the refinery, BP partnered with the United Steel Workers (USW) to establish front line involvement in process safety management.  “BP shares the USW’s focus on worker safety and an injury-free workplace” said Steve Cornell, President of BP Products North America. “Today’s agreement represents another milestone in our commitment to safe and compliant operations.”  Originally, BP Products and OSHA entered into a settlement agreement on September 22, 2005 resolving various citations issued by OSHA related to the March 23, 2005 accident at the Texas City Refinery. The agreement had a four-year duration ending September 22, 2009. In compliance with that agreement, BP Products completed approximately 660 abatement requirements and process safety recommendations by September 22, 2009.

On September 21, 2009, BP Products filed a Petition for Modification of Abatement (PMA) Date and an amended PMA on October 5, 2009, seeking to clarify abatement obligations and dates related to five of 660 abatement actions, specifically those related to inlet pressure drop on relief valves and installation of safety control systems. On October 15, 2009, OSHA denied BP Products’ amended PMA and the matter was referred for an expedited hearing to an administrative law judge from the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, an independent commission that adjudicates disputes between OSHA and private employers. On October 29, 2009, OSHA alleged BP failed to meet deadlines and other requirements set forth in a 2005 agreement related to the continuing implementation of safety improvements and issued 270 citations to the refinery. OSHA also issued 439 citations unrelated to the 2005 Agreement. BP disagreed with OSHA’s allegations and contested the citations.

On August 12, 2010, BP and OSHA reached a settlement of the 270 Failure to Abate Notices that were part of the 709 citations. BP completed the 2010 Settlement Agreement on schedule on March 12, 2012. BP met or exceeded all its commitments under the 2010 agreement, which was subject to independent verification by third party experts. The remaining 439 OSHA citations were not addressed by the 2010 Settlement Agreement. BP says it has invested more in the United States over the last five years than any other oil and gas company. With more than $52 billion in capital spending between 2007 and 2011, BP invests more in the US. than in any other country. The company is the second largest producer of oil and gas in the US, a major oil refiner and a leader in alternative energy sources including wind power and biofuels. BP provides enough energy each year to light the entire country.  With 23,000 U.S. employees, BP supports nearly a quarter of a million US jobs through its business activities.

By HazardEx

July 18, 2012:

Tesoro Corp's 103,800 Ÿbarrel-per-day Los Angeles-area refinery in Wilmington, California, was resuming normal operations on Wednesday following maintenance on unspecified units, company spokeswoman Tina Barbee said in an email. The refinery completed maintenance of a gasoline-making fluid catalytic cracking unit on Tuesday.

By Reuters

July 14, 2012:

I'm never surprised by the unabashed glee with which those on the right shill for the rich and powerful, but the Republican support for the fuel price gougers here in Alaska has even me flabbergasted. Alaska's gas prices are through the roof. Why? Oiligopoly. Two refiners control virtually 100 percent of the gasoline market -- with Tesoro controlling 80 percent and Flint Hills, owned by the Koch brothers, controlling 20 percent. You know the Koch brothers: job creators extraordinaire. They've enjoyed a decade of low taxes, fired 13,000 workers since 2007 and seen their net worth skyrocket from $34 billion to $50 billion. Yeah, now you remember. When you control 80 percent of the market for an essential commodity, you can charge whatever you want, which is exactly what the refiners are doing. It's legalized price gouging. Sure, it's more expensive to do business in Alaska. We're a smaller, more remote market, but does that explain why we have the highest fuel costs in the nation? No. Much of the oil comes from Alaska, is refined right here and transportation costs are minimal. Alaska has the lowest gas taxes in the country.

The real culprit is Alaska's refinery profit margins. They are through the roof. For years, Alaska's gasoline refinery margins were about 19 percent higher than those in Washington. In 2008, oil prices spiked and so did refinery margins. Prices quickly dropped in the Lower 48 but have never come down in Alaska. From 2008 to March 2012, Alaska margins averaged 106 percent above Washington's. Probably the most telling fact from the recent Alaska Senate hearing was that Tesoro and Flint Hills are somehow able to refine jet fuel for about 3 or 4 cents more per gallon than the national average. Coincidentally, there is strong outside competition for jet fuel. Maybe the refiners have an answer for this. But they're not talking. According to the nonpartisan Legislative Research Agency, the difference in the refining margins is "stark and it's been fairly sustained." The researcher said the refiners wouldn't explain the spike. Tesoro was asked to appear before the Senate Committee but couldn't muster anyone to testify (although the company did manage to find a lobbyist to monitor the proceedings). With the price of gasoline such a big political issue, you'd think fixing this problem would be a no-brainer for our legislators. Sen. Bill Wielechowski and Rep. Pete Petersen have been leading the inquiry into the price gouging issue for years. Who could possibly be against more competition to drive down our fuel prices?

Well, the right-wing protectors of corporate interests went nuts. A KGOP talk show host, who was firmly planted next to the Tesoro lobbyist during the Senate hearing, helpfully explained that Alaskans are just a bunch of whiners. Poor Tesoro is not gouging us -- if you can't afford to pay $200 a week, you should ride your bike into work every day. From Wasilla. Other right-wingers claimed fighting price gouging was merely a campaign ploy. Imagine that: legislators actually sticking up for their constituents instead of lobbyists and multinational oil companies. Who do they think they are? Last year it was reported that Tesoro lobbyists spent big money wining and dining Republican Reps. Mike Chenault and Kurt Olsen and Parnell energy advisor Gene Therriault, along with some of their staff and families. That turned out to be a good investment. Parnell opposed a bill banning price gouging, House Speaker Chenault assigned the bill to Olsen's House Labor and Commerce Committee and Olsen killed the bill without even a hearing.

It's an interesting tactic. Block any legislation and refuse to even have hearings about price gouging. Then, when someone tries to fix things, complain that it's a campaign tactic. Republican Senate candidate Bob Roses, who happens to be running against Wielechowski, chimed in, "You could do all the studies you want, you aren't going to find that anybody's gouging." Really? I'm sure the contributions Mr. Roses has gotten from Tesoro or the fundraisers he's been having at the Petroleum Club have nothing to do with his position. Every Alaskan is essentially paying $500 a year to Tesoro and the Koch brothers. That's more than $100 million drained from our pockets to go to some of the largest corporations and wealthiest people on the planet. But quit complaining, Alaskans! Next time you spend $100 to fill up your SUV, just think of it as your small contribution to help the Koch brothers buy their next yacht.

By adn.com