KirklandM5 said:
What? In CA just about every fuel comes from the same refining company...yes, the additive packages are different..but that has more to do with detergents. CA fuel is really crappy these days, with the 10% ethanol in it.
Boy oh boy. I really don't want to argue about this, these "which gas is better" threads tend to get very argumentative. I'm certainly no expert and in no position to argue, but I've been convinced over and over that there are inherent differences.
About your comment of the same refining company, I don't have time to search for it, but somewhere there was a recent article about the number of refineries and their differences. As far as I know there are several refineries right here in the Bay Area near where I live, a Chevron, Shell and a Conoco Philips to name a few I've seen.
Nevermind, a quick google search turns this up this list:
======
California Oil Refinery Locations and Capacities
Classification of refiners based on crude oil capacity (barrels per day)
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width=600 border=1><TBODY><TR vAlign=top bgColor=#003399><TD align=left>Refinery Name</TD><TD align=middle>Barrels
Per Day </TD><TD align=middle>CARB Diesel</TD><TD align=middle>CARB Gasoline</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD>BP West Coast Products LLC, Carson Refinery</TD><TD align=right>260,000 </TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD>Chevron U.S.A. Inc., El Segundo Refinery</TD><TD align=right>260,000 </TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD>Chevron U.S.A. Inc., Richmond Refinery</TD><TD align=right>242,901 </TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD>Tesoro Refining & Marketing Company, Golden Eagle (Avon/Rodeo) Refinery</TD><TD align=right>166,000 </TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD>Shell Oil Products US, Martinez Refinery</TD><TD align=right>154,900 </TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD>ExxonMobil Refining & Supply Company, Torrance Refinery</TD><TD align=right>149,000 </TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD>Valero Benicia Refinery</TD><TD align=right>144,000 </TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD>ConocoPhillips, Wilmington Refinery</TD><TD align=right>133,100 </TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD>Shell Oil Products US, Wilmington Refinery</TD><TD align=right>98,500 </TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD>Valero (Ultramar) Wilmington Refinery</TD><TD align=right>76,000 </TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD>ConocoPhillips, Rodeo San Francisco Refinery</TD><TD align=right>73,200 </TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD>Big West of California LLC, Bakersfield Refinery</TD><TD align=right>66,000 </TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD>Paramount Petroleum Corporation, Paramount Refinery</TD><TD align=right>50,000 </TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD>ConocoPhillips, Santa Maria Refinery</TD><TD align=right>41,800 </TD><TD align=middle>No</TD><TD align=middle>No</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD>Edgington Oil Company, Long Beach Refinery</TD><TD align=right>26,000 </TD><TD align=middle>No</TD><TD align=middle>No</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD>Kern Oil & Refining Company, Bakersfield Refinery</TD><TD align=right>25,000 </TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD>San Joaquin Refining Company Inc., Bakersfield Refinery</TD><TD align=right>24,300 </TD><TD align=middle>Yes</TD><TD align=middle>No</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD>Greka Energy, Santa Maria Refinery</TD><TD align=right>9,500 </TD><TD align=middle>No</TD><TD align=middle>No</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD>Lunday Thagard, South Gate Refinery</TD><TD align=right>8,500 </TD><TD align=middle>No</TD><TD align=middle>No</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD>Valero Wilmington Asphalt Refinery</TD><TD align=right>5,900 </TD><TD align=middle>No</TD><TD align=middle>No</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD>Tenby Inc., Oxnard Refinery</TD><TD align=right>2,800 </TD><TD align=middle>No</TD><TD align=middle>No</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD colSpan=4>Note: Data on this table represents total crude oil capacity not gasoline, distillate production, diesel fuel production or production of other products. Production potential varies depending on time of year and status of the refinery. A rule of thumb is that
roughly 55 percent of total capacity is gasoline production (about 1.1 - 1.2 million barrels of gasoline - 46 to 50 million gallons - is produced per day).
Source: California Energy Commission Fuels Office Staff.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>