China’s Teapot Refiners Slash Output as Hormuz Crisis Crushes Margins

Independent “teapot” refiners in China — the smaller, privately owned facilities concentrated in Shandong province that account for roughly a quarter of the country’s refining capacity — are slashing production rates as the ongoing paralysis in the Strait of Hormuz drives crude prices higher and crushes refining margins. According to industry sources cited by Reuters […]

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Refinery Fire in New Orleans: Is This a Pattern?

On May 8, 2026, an explosion and fire rocked the Chalmette Refinery in Chalmette, Louisiana, just east of New Orleans. Operated by PBF Energy, the facility processes roughly 185,000–190,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and specialty products. The incident occurred around 12:50–1:00 p.m. CDT in an operating 17,500-bpd reformer […]

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Chevron CEO Says Oil Storage Buffers Being Drawn Down

In a candid interview at the Milken Institute Global Conference, Chevron Chairman and CEO Mike Wirth delivered a sobering assessment of the global oil market: the industry’s traditional “shock absorbers” — commercial inventories in tanks, oil on tankers (including shadow fleet vessels), and strategic petroleum reserves — have been significantly drawn down in recent months […]

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California’s Self-Inflicted Energy Disaster: Steve Hilton, Chris Wright Slam Dems With The Truth

ENB Pubnote: This article was run on David Blackmon’s Energy Additions Substack, and we highly recommend subscribing. This morning on Mornings with Maria, Secretary Chris Wright hit it out of the park, and we will have that information out later. California is a self-imposed energy island with a crisis brewing, and Secretary Wright is spot […]

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Farm Bill Amendment Pits Big Refiners Against Smaller Operations. Is It Time to End Ethanol?

A controversial amendment to the 2026 Farm Bill is lighting up Capitol Hill, pitting big refining interests against smaller operations in a classic Washington showdown over the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and ethanol mandates. Rep. Michelle Fischbach (R-MN) introduced Amendment 289, which would force year-round nationwide sales of E15 (15% ethanol gasoline) by aligning its […]

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Ukraine Strikes Russia’s Tuapse Refinery. How Many Refineries Are Out of Commission Around the World?

Ukrainian drone strikes continue to hammer Russian oil infrastructure, with the latest assault on the Tuapse Oil Refinery in Krasnodar Krai marking the third hit on the facility in April alone. Overnight on April 27-28, 2026, drones ignited fires and damaged additional storage tanks, triggering a state of emergency, an oil spill, and direct Kremlin […]

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