The AFPM EMPOWER team is gearing up and heading to San Antonio for the AFPM Annual Meeting next week. We. Are. Stoked. If you’ll be there, swing by the EMPOWER booth and say hi!
A few things I’m looking forward to most at the 2025 AFPM Annual Meeting:
- Talking about EMPOWER and how we can be better advocates for our industries.
- Global Refining Horizons with Debnil Chowdhury from S&P Global and Alan Gelder from Wood Mackenzie. They’ll be talking about the future of refining markets and product demand.
- C-Suite panel discussion with Marathon CEO Maryann Mannen and LyondellBasell EVP of O&P, Refining and Supply Chain Kim Foley.
- EMPOWER mugs - Come by our booth for a free mug!
Happy Friday!
-Charlie and the AFPM EMPOWER team
P.S. - Last week I told you that we’d be sharing an action alert to related to California’s car ban. It’s still coming. Keep an eye on your inboxes Monday.
What we’ve been reading this week
Multi-car pileup as electric vehicles collide with reality - The Washington Post
Economic stagnation has the European Union tiptoeing away from its mandate that new cars and vans be emission-free by 2035. “Self-destructive,” says Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy, where slack demand for electric vehicles caused Fiat to close its Turin plant for a month last autumn.
Will Trump save California from its impending tow truck apocalypse - Washington Examiner
In the state once more synonymous with car driving than any other, tow trucks are in danger of becoming a thing of the past — unless President Donald Trump comes in and saves the Democratic Party from another one of its epic regulatory blunders.
Trump’s Foreign Policy Sends Tanker Market Adrift - OilPrice.com
Vessel owners and oil traders are hesitant to enter long-term charter deals for oil tankers amid heightened geopolitical uncertainty since U.S. President Donald Trump took office.
Who gets stuck with the bill for tariffs on imported Canadian oil? - FOX Business
"One thing that's kind of interesting about the Canadian production and U.S. refining businesses is that they're pretty intertwined," Carin Dehne-Kiley, director of S&P Global Ratings, told FOX Business in an interview. She explained that's especially true for the "Midwest and Rockies regions where the refiners use a lot of the Canadian crude," adding that about 70% of Canadian crude production goes to the U.S. while about 60% of American crude oil imports come from Canada.
2 French Firms Team Up to Accelerate SAF Projects - Rigzone
France-based energy firms Haffner Energy and ATOBA Energy have partnered for the development and financing of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) projects.
Chemical recycling projects receive backing - Plastics Recycling Update
Several companies recently announced progress toward chemical recycling capacity, including a developing method to recycle PET that could require much less energy.
The European chemical industry is becoming extinct: An open letter from INEOS CEO Sir Jim Ratcliffe - Hydrocarbon Processing
The chemical industry in Europe has been hugely important to the success of the European economy over the last century. With revenues of around one trillion euros, it is similar in size to the automotive sector. But chemicals in Europe is facing extinction. Government policies have resulted in enormously high energy prices and crippling carbon tax bills.
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