The ongoing conflict in Iran has triggered a profound energy crunch that extends far beyond crude oil prices. While Brent crude has retreated to around $90 per barrel from a wartime peak near $126, global shortages of refined products—diesel, gasoline, and jet fuel—have intensified. Global refinery throughput in July 2026 ran nearly 5 million barrels […]
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The U.S. diesel crack spread—the premium of ultra-low sulfur diesel futures over West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude—has shattered historical records, surging above $100 per barrel for the first time ever. It hit an intraday all-time high of $102.20 on Monday, August 17, 2026, before hovering around $100 on Tuesday, August 18 (settling in triple digits […]
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The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid the 2026 Iran-related conflict has fundamentally altered global liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) trade flows. Middle Eastern exports from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Iran slowed sharply as tanker traffic collapsed and infrastructure faced risks or attacks. Before the escalation, roughly 54 oil, chemical, and LPG […]
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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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