Joe Pitts: “a new oil refinery has not been built in the United States in over 30 years, and the refineries that we do have are…”

“a new oil refinery has not been built in the United States in over 30 years, and the refineries that we do have are operating at or near capacity. No matter how much crude oil is made available, the United States simply does not have the capacity to refine it. And today we are importing processed refined gasoline, last week, 1.2 million barrels of refined gasoline. Less than a week after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf, the price for regular gasoline increased by 46 cents, because much of our refining capacity is located along the Gulf Coast. Oil refining capacity is just one of the many aspects of our energy policy that we need to reconsider as gas prices continue their steep climb. My bill, H.R. 2279, the subject of this week's discharge resolution, would address one of the largest hurdles to building a new refinery; finding land. By using a few closed military bases, we can jump-start the process and help address our refining needs.”