Phillips 66 Chairman and CEO Mark Lashier issued a clear warning on June 24, 2026, at the Reuters Global Energy Forum in New York: refining and petrochemical earnings face greater volatility due to ongoing uncertainty from disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. Lashier highlighted how uncertainty in crude supply and shipping lanes causes refining margins […]
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US refiners are operating plants at elevated run rates, with some delaying scheduled maintenance amid strong refining margins and steady-to-robust fuel demand. According to a Bloomberg report from June 1, 2026, the industry saw one of its lightest maintenance seasons in recent memory, with an average of only 470,000 barrels per day (bpd) of processing […]
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On Friday, May 29, 2026, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved sweeping updates to the state’s Cap-and-Invest program (formerly Cap-and-Trade), extending California’s signature climate initiative through 2045. State regulators framed the changes as a balanced move to meet aggressive greenhouse gas reduction targets while supporting affordability and preventing industry “leakage”—the exodus of major polluters […]
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued a Record of Decision finalizing the easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) to cross under Lake Oahe on the Missouri River in North Dakota. The move ends a years-long environmental review and legal battle, securing the long-term operation of the critical crude oil conduit nearly a […]
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The numbers don’t lie. In just the first ~50 days after the Trump administration’s March 17, 2026, Jones Act waiver for energy products and fertilizer, 45 voyages moved cargo on 35 foreign-flagged vessels across more than 30 U.S. ports and a dozen-plus cargo types. This wasn’t foreign ships stealing work from American ones. The Jones […]
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Houston-based integrated energy company Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX) delivered a solid first-quarter 2026 earnings beat, reporting adjusted earnings of $0.49 per share—surpassing Wall Street consensus estimates of a $0.39 per share loss by $0.88. The company posted net income of $207 million, or $0.51 per diluted share on a reported (GAAP) basis. Strong refining operations, […]
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A Major Win for U.S. Consumers in California and the West Coast April 20, 2026 — In a significant boost for energy reliability and supply security across the Western United States, Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX) and Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE: KMI) today announced they are advancing the Western Gateway Pipeline Project. The move follows a […]
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In every energy crisis, a clear pattern repeats: diesel prices climb faster and higher than gasoline. As of April 2026, with Middle East tensions disrupting tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the divergence is stark once again. Since the latest conflict intensified, U.S. national average gasoline prices have risen by roughly $1.11 per gallon, […]
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Energy investors are finally getting their moment in the sun — and it’s not even close. While the broader S&P 500 is down 4.6% year-to-date in 2026, the S&P 500 Energy Sector has exploded higher by 36.5%, posting its widest outperformance margin on record. The sector just notched a 14-week winning streak — smashing the […]
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California didn’t just inherit sky-high fuel prices — state leaders engineered them through decades of policy choices that have now collided with a global energy shock. While the national average for regular gasoline hovers around $4.00–$4.06 per gallon (up sharply from ~$2.98 a month ago), Californians are paying $5.71–$5.89 for regular gas and a record […]
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