It may not be apparent to American motorists, but the U.S. oil refinery industry is ailing. Reduced VMT, mandated ethanol use, and escalating vehicle fuel efficiency standards caused a decrease of gasoline consumed. Diesel may revive the industry.
President Obama's new CAFE target of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025 may not be as ominous as many believe for the refinery industry.
While many auto industry followers believe the high standards will boost sales of hybrids, electric cars, plug-in hybrid vehicles, as well as highly efficient conventional vehicles, many see them as boosting sales of vehicles that run on diesel, as opposed to gasoline, because "diesel engines carry vehicles 25 percent farther per tank than gasoline engines do, according to Hart Energy", an industry consulting and publishing firm.
"Diesel powers about 3 percent of U.S. passenger vehicles, said Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum, a nonprofit industry organization. Industry consultants expect the CAFE regulations will help push their market share to 8 percent by 2025."
"Still, demand continued to slide for gasoline, U.S. refiners' most popular product. Drivers used less than 378 million gallons of gasoline per day in 2010, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That was down more than 3 percent from 2007, the year industry watchers mark as the peak for gasoline consumption."
"Many believe we'll never reach those levels again," said one oil analyst.
Thanks to Susan Frank
FULL STORY: Diesel could fuel refinery comeback

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie