In what year was the last oil refinery built in the United States?

I'm very tired of the ';war for oil'; argument. We cannot even refine oil at a pace that keeps up with our demand. Please tell me when IN THIS COUNTRY, we built a refinery capable of refining gasoline.In what year was the last oil refinery built in the United States?
Mike, refineries are built when you have your own oil to to refine. Depending on imported oil from OPEC that is priced by them to maximize their gain makes refining a risky uneconomic proposition. It has nothing to do withe ecological concerns or finding new oil in the US in the short term. You and everyone else needs to understand who controls the price of oil-certainly not even the toadies working for US OILCO's who settle for the crumbs from OPEC's table. The OIL in the SPR is ours and could be used to supply a new modern refinery but other refiners would balk at the exclusivity of the idea. Even then OPEC will eventually own it when SPR oil runs out and no new non-OPEC sources are found! We should be finding ways of reducing energy through conservation by efficiency improvements and finding ways to reduce reliance on OPEC OIL or other carbon-energy sources from our self-serving fat and greedy OILCO's who benefit from the situation (pls notice I did not say oil shortage or scarcity!)





Funny how the truth gets rejected by the ignorant who know nothing about the oil industry or the oil refining business! When someone tells you the facts, you should listen! Too many oil shills dwell here!In what year was the last oil refinery built in the United States?
I guess there are many who are not students of history and think history is for the oldsters. Wait till they grow older! Report Abuse

Also they will never build another one because they will only hurt there profits so that's why they don't build them.
Actually, we have enough refined gasoline right now.





Thats not whats driving up the cost of gasoline.





New refineries wouldn't help.





Untill the next hurricane hits the gulf coast.
The last one opened in March of 1978...now over 30 years ago.





BTW it was in the bay area of California and they have pickets around it once in a while - and they continually berate it for emissions and other issues. The bay area California clowns are so funny; they also complain about $4 a gallon gasoline and then one refinery that gives it too them...
We hven't built one in 60 years, we can't srill off our coasts (environmentalists), we can't drill any new well is the Gulf (environmentalists), we can't drill in the ANWR (Environmentalists)!
It has been decades, but there are plans to build new ones. There is a proposed refinery to be built in South Dakota, to refine oil pumped from Alaska and Canada. There is still a big debate in the state about it, though not much with environmental issues, but political ones.
not sure been way to long though.


flatfoot it's not because of the profits that they haven't built a new one. it has more to do with the EPA than profits. it is from all the rules and regulations, and the fact that it is almost impossible to get the authorization needed to build.