Refining a monopoly  shutterstock_73741291All across the country
gas prices are rising at record rates to record highs. While
this phenomenon has many possible causes, one issue may be the
biggest culprit for the current price spike during a normally
quiet season. More and more oil companies, which traditionally
controlled the entire production chain from oil fields to gas
pumps, are now divorcing their drilling and exploration
operations from their refinery operations.  Citing the need to
appease shareholders with greater profit margins, major oil
companies are increasingly shutting down refineries that don’t
have easy access to large, new, domestic oil reserves.
Refineries are being shuttered in Oklahoma, Ohio, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania and Hawaii. These closings can have a devastating
impact. Besides the immediate loss of jobs, shutting down or
“repurposing” a refinery can lead to higher gas prices, taxing
the already strained budgets of everyday Americans, and can
increase the need to import fuel.  The rec