scott s. wrote:
> Billy and Ann Green wrote:
>
>> I thought everyone would find this interesting:
>>
>> WHERE TO BUY YOUR GAS, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW.
>>
>> READ ON...
>
>
>>
>> I thought it might be interesting for you to know
>> which oil companies are the best to buy gas from and
>> which major companies import Middle Eastern oil :
>>
>> Shell............................ 205,742,000 barrels
>
>
>
> I happen to own stock in Royal Dutch/Shell, so follow things
> a bit, but I'm no expert. AFAIK, the exploration and production
> part of the firm operates as a separate entity. Once the
> oil is produced, where it goes and who it is sold to are
> market decisions.
> The refining and marketing part of the firm is another
> entity. At least in the US, it doesn't seem like Shell
> wants direct control of refining. So, a retail boycott
> of Shell-branded gas stations would only hurt the individual
> retailers, and have no effect on the Saudis or other
> producers, unless aggregate demand went down.
I think there was an earlier (4-5 months ago) thread on this subject.
When I looked at it then, Shell actually does control direct refining
and retail marketing through what was formerly its partly-owned
subsidiary, Equilon. Equilon was a joint venture between Texaco and
Shell to refine and retail. When Chevron proposed to merge with Texaco,
several states and the FTC felt that ChevronTexaco's share of the
market--because of its share of Equilon--represented too much of the
retail market, so Texaco was forced to sell its share in Equilon to Shell.
Shell absorbed Equilon and began the process of rebranding and
rebuilding the Texaco retail outlets it owned in around 2002, starting
in Louisiana. Independents acting as Texaco franchises could continue
to use the Texaco name for a year or so until they made other
arrangements. Now, what has happened to Shell's refining capacity
lately, I'm not sure. But at last count, they had eight refineries
around the country (three in California, several in Louisiana). That
may have dropped to seven if they succeeded in their lawsuit to close
the Bakersfield refinery.
Cheers.
--
Michael D. Porter
Roswell, NM
Never let anyone drive you crazy when you know it's within walking distance....
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