-Northern Tier Energy on Thursday said it would take off line the No. 2 crude unit at its St. Paul Park refinery in Minnesota for unplanned maintenance. The company said the refinery’s crude throughput would average between 86,000 and 90,000 barrels per day in the third quarter as a result of the shutdown. The refinery has a per-stream-day capacity of 97,800 barrels.
-Meanwhile, seasonal maintenance at Midwest refineries and a production problem at BP and Husky Energy’s Toledo, Ohio, refinery are contributing to higher fuel prices in Canada. The refinery’s main gasoline producing FCCU was shut down in July after a crack was discovered in the unit’s reactor.
-The American Petroleum Institute said today the EPA’s recent findings that 19 metropolitan areas need more time to attain ozone standards set in 2008 shows the “absurdity” of the agency’s newest ozone proposals. The EPA’s analysis revealed that 217 counties are measured or projected to be out of attainment or in metro areas that do not meet the standards. That number jumps to 1,433 under a standard of 68 parts per billion. The EPA has until Oct. 1 to either change its ozone standards or keep the current standards in place.
-Oil prices today saw their biggest daily drop since Sept. 1 in the wake of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s decision to keep interest rates unchanged. Via MarketWatch, the move fueled uncertainty among oil traders about the U.S. economy and energy demand. October West Texas Intermediate crude settled at $44.68 per barrel.
-ExxonMobil subsidiary XTO Energy is looking to acquire or form joint ventures with small producers in the Permian Basin, Bloomberg reports. ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson in March announced plans to double the company’s crude production from the Permian and other U.S. shale plays over the next three years. Many drillers would be hard pressed to pass up any such partnership amid low oil prices, which are likely to persist well into next year.