In article ,
Paul M. Eldridge wrote:

On Wed, 16 Apr 2008 03:21:33 -0700, Smitty Two
wrote:

The price of gas, like all things, is being manipulated by the puppet
masters of the world. According to the Wall Street Journal, if based on
supply and demand, it would be about $1.50. In California there are two
refineries, and they take turns shutting down for one phony reason or
another, to artificially exacerbate the "shortage."

There are only *TWO* oil refineries in California? Then perhaps you
would be so kind as to select which two from the following list:

BP West Coast Products LLC, Carson
Chevron U.S.A. Inc., El Segundo
Chevron U.S.A. Inc., Richmond
Tesoro Refining & Marketing Company, Golden Eagle
Shell Oil Products US, Martinez
ExxonMobil Refining & Supply Company, Torrance
Valero Benicia
ConocoPhillips, Wilmington
Shell Oil Products US, Wilmington
Valero (Ultramar) Wilmington
ConocoPhillips, Rodeo San Francisco
Big West of California LLC, Bakersfield
Paramount Petroleum Corporation, Paramount
ConocoPhillips, Santa Maria
Edgington Oil Company, Long Beach
Kern Oil & Refining Company, Bakersfield
San Joaquin Refining Company Inc., Bakersfield
Greka Energy, Santa Maria
Lunday Thagard, South Gate
Valero Wilmington Asphalt
Tenby Inc., Oxnard

And when you've finished that assignment, get yourself acquainted with
the REAL facts about supply and demand. Hint #1: world demand has now
reached 87 million barrel a day or some 1,000 barrels a SECOND. Hint
#2: oil production in 33 out of the 48 major oil producing countries
is now in decline due to field exhaustion, and this includes Kuwait,
Mexico, Britain's North Sea and, most recently, Russia. Hint #3: oil
producing countries are exporting less crude because of rapidly rising
domestic demand.

Cheers,
Paul

I stand corrected on the refineries. I was having a conversation with
the owner of a local gas station the other day, and clearly
misunderstood him. As to the real facts of supply and demand, I was
only quoting the WSJ, so perhaps you can straighten them out if you
believe they're confused.