Part 8/13:

Industry data and labor reports confirm that conversions to renewable fuels often operate at half or less their previous capacity. Valero’s Benicia refinery has already announced plans to cease petroleum refining by April 2026, eliminating an additional 145,000 barrels per day. Such reductions amount to a significant loss of regional refining capacity—about 17% in California within a year—and similar trends threaten Washington’s refineries.