Author Archives for Megan

Stillwater Authors Paper on Petroleum and Renewable Fuels Supply Chain for BPC

February 28, 2014 1:41 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

February 4, 2014 As part of an effort to foster constructive dialogue and action on reforming the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) Energy Project has released three of five commissioned background papers on the RFS. Stillwater Associates is proud to be part of this conversation by providing a white paper entitled...
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An Industrial Policy Success Story

February 28, 2014 1:40 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

December 12, 2013 by David Hackett For a long time I’ve been concerned about the barriers that have been created to stifle industrial development in the United States. Here in California it is virtually impossible to create new industrial facilities. For example, we have a client who has been working for years to develop a...
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California Getting Record Volume of Canadian Oil by Rail

February 28, 2014 1:38 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

January 31, 2014 By Lynn Doan and Dan Murtaugh, Bloomberg.com California, the third-largest oil-refining state in the U.S., is bringing in a record volume of oil from Canada by rail as it faces shrinking supplies from Alaska and within the state. The most populous U.S. state received 709,014 barrels of crude from Canada by rail...
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Wall St. Exploits Ethanol Credits, and Prices Spike

February 28, 2014 1:38 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

By Gretchen Morenson and Robert Gebeloff, NY Times It was supposed to help clean the air, reduce dependence on foreign oil and bolster agriculture. But a little known market in ethanol credits has also become a hot new game on Wall Street. The federal government created the market in special credits tied to ethanol eight...
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What Causes Rack Loading Disruptions?

November 15, 2013 6:32 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

By Dennis Gannaway The distribution of gasoline and diesel from refineries and import points to sales terminal loading racks is a complex activity. Supply programs are often buffeted by shifting economics and a variety of intrusive factors. Most product supply groups have developed operating practices that prevent supply chain problems from affecting tankwagon customers, but...
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Stillwater’s Problem Solving Process

November 15, 2013 6:09 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Because we want to make a new client’s experience as efficient and productive as possible, we thought it would be helpful to explain the problem solving process Stillwater uses when we first meet a client. Clients come to Stillwater for two main purposes: Companies see opportunities they want to explore and evaluate. Stillwater has long...
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The Impact of Shale Drilling on World Energy Markets

November 15, 2013 5:56 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

June 5, 2013 by David Hackett Who would have thought three or four years ago that natural gas and crude oil production in the U.S. would grow to the point of tipping the energy supply balance around the globe? According to the Wall Street Journal, cheap natural gas in the U.S. has resulted in lower...
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Stillwater Co-Authors Study on New and Existing Refining Markets for Canadian Crude

November 15, 2013 5:34 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

On December 15th the University of Calgary School of Public Policy released a comprehensive analysis of the effects of new pipeline capacity from Canada into the U.S. entitled “Catching the Brass Ring: Oil Market Diversification Potential for Canada” Catching the Brass Ring: Oil Market Diversification Potential for Canada”. Stillwater Associates’ contribution to the paper included...
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The California Low Carbon Fuel Standard and the Innovation Gap

November 15, 2013 5:06 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

August 1, 2012 by Megan Boutwell California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard remains controversial. Obligated parties to California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard continue to study the regulation and wonder if it is even feasible. A study commissioned by Western States Petroleum Association and authored by the Boston Consulting Group is the latest to make headlines by...
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State Energy Assurance Plans: Is Your State Ready?

November 15, 2013 5:01 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

September 18, 2012 By Megan Boutwell When Buckeye Partners’ West Shore Pipeline had to be shut down this summer due to a leak, threatening gasoline shortages, Michigan’s governor Rick Snyder triggered provisions in the state’s energy assurance plan by declaring and energy emergency. This emergency declaration allowed drivers of gasoline trucks to be exempted from...
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Effects of Strategic Petroleum Reserve Sales

November 15, 2013 4:59 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

September 18, 2012 By Megan Boutwell As we mentioned in our August 23rd blog, last month the Obama Administration stated that they were considering a sale from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) in the event of a crude oil price spike or supply interruption. Currently the SPR contains 694.9 million barrels of crude oil, twice...
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An Update on California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard

November 15, 2013 4:58 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

October 24, 2012 by Leigh Noda On October 16th, oral arguments were heard before three justices of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on the California Air Resources (CARB) appeal. The District Court for the Eastern District of California in December found that California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) violated the Commerce Clause of the...
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Wall St. Exploits Ethanol Credits, and Prices Spike

November 15, 2013 1:17 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

September 14, 2013 By Gretchen Morenson and Robert Gebeloff, NY Times It was supposed to help clean the air, reduce dependence on foreign oil and bolster agriculture. But a little known market in ethanol credits has also become a hot new game on Wall Street. The federal government created the market in special credits tied...
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Big Week in West Coast Refinery News

August 15, 2012 4:15 am Published by Leave your thoughts

August 15, 2012 The price of Bakken is nearly in line with WTI this week, to just $0.50 under. The price of WTI remained about the same, closing at $93 on August 14th. The spread between WTI and WCS has tightened to $14 under, from $16 under WTI on August 7th. The spreads between WTI...
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