Obama's EPA Shuts Down 33% – 125 – Refineries

EPA overturns 16-year-old Texas permit program – Yahoo! News.

Shared By Pratt’s Pub

One way or another Obama will get the oil shut down. The EPA shutting down 125 refineries is crazy.

He couldn’t get the moratorium on drilling, so by God, he got the refineries shut down.

I don’t know about these refineries, but generally speaking if one has to shut down or something awful happens, don’t gas prices go up?

Yeah, I would bet that is the end game here. Obama will make gas prices go up, no mention the refineries in Texas being shut down and then use the high gas prices as a reason to go more green.

I know, I know…it sounds crazy….right?

EDIT: The 33%? I had about 5 articles opened when I posted this. I am trying to find where I read that the 125 refineries equals 33%. I don’t doubt it, just can’t find the article that stated that.

Below is likely just an except of the original article. Please follow the link above to read the full article.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday officially overturned a 16-year-old Texas air permitting program it says violates the Clean Air Act, leaving some of the country’s largest refineries in a state of limbo.

The move comes after years of backdoor bickering, negotiations and public arguments between the EPA and Texas. The argument recently escalated from a battle over environmental issues into a heated political dispute over states’ rights.

Gov. Rick Perry has been using it to drive home his contention that President Barack Obama’s administration is overreaching, saying in a statement Wednesday that “Texas will continue to fight this federal takeover of a successful state program.”

The EPA’s decision, announced in a statement, will force some 125 refineries and petrochemical plants to invest millions of dollars to get new permits. Many of the plants may also have to invest in updates to comply with federal regulations.

The decision did not come as a surprise to Texas or the industries. EPA regional director Al Armendariz has said for months he would disapprove the permits if Texas did not comply with the Clean Air Act.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s chairman Bryan Shaw insisted Wednesday the state’s permitting program complies with the Clean Air Act and has improved air quality in Texas. However, in an effort to satisfy the EPA’s concerns, Shaw said the commission recently changed the rules but apparently the EPA “did not take them into consideration.”