AM-12-08 Addressing Tier 3 Specifications in a Declining Gasoline Market: Options for the Future

Description:

Tier 3 gasoline regulations are expected to arrive in a market where the gasoline demand in the United States is forecasted to be stagnant or declining. Several factors contribute to the reduced demand including ethanol blending, market conditions, CAFE standards, and the increasing sales of hybrid cars along with import of surplus gasoline from Europe. At the same time, the market for middle distillates is expected to expand in the coming years. In many U.S. regions, the margins for middle distillate products are already significantly more profitable than for gasoline. As refineries reduce capacity or shut down to address the gasoline surplus, the diesel imbalance is not addressed and middle distillate supply suffers.