The Bellaire & Southwestern Texan (Bellaire, Tex.), Vol. 20, No. 47, Ed. 1 Wednesday, February 20, 1974 Page: 8 of 28
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Page 8
THE BELLAIRE TEXAN
Wednesday, February 20, 1974
Why you can’t get
all the gasoline you want
During the shortage it might be helpful if you understand
the details of the U.S. Government’s allocation program-
how it s designed to protect jobs and essential services,
and why the motorist comes last.
Although there are many problems to
iron out, in times like these Shell
thinks the government’s allocation
program for petroleum products
makes sense. Its intent is to establish
national priorities for distributing
these products.
Farmers must be given special
consideration. They put the food on
our tables.
Ambulances, fire departments
and other emergency services obvi-
ously are very important. Fuel for
them is often a matter of life or death.
And industry must be given a
fair share in order to protect jobs and
keep the economy going.
Service stations and motorists
end up with what’s left. But if every-
body conserves a little, we should all
be able to get by without drastically
changing the way we live.
Here are two important as-
pects of the allocation program that
affect the amount of gasoline Shell can
produce.
1. Crude oil is allocated, too
During 1973 Shell was able to run its
refineries at near capacity.
In an effort to keep all refiners
operating, the government is now al-
locating crude oil. Here is its plan for
crude oil allocation during February
March and April.
On February 1st, all refiners
(including Shell) were allocated
enough crude oil to run at about 76
percent of crude capacity. Those who
had crude oil above that amount,
which indeed Shell did, are required
to sell it to other refiners — those who
do not have enough crude'oil to run at
about 76 percent of capacity.
Refiners able to acquire
additional crude oil after February
1st can process it in their own re-
fineries.
2. Refiners may have to
make less gasoline
The government may also regulate
how refineries use the crude oil they
get.
Within refinery limitations,
you can make different amounts of
gasoline out of the same barrel of
crude oil. If you make less gasoline,
you can end up with more of such
things as heating oil, diesel fuel and jet
fuel.
Refineries may be required to
make the same percentage of their
crude oil into gasoline as they did in
1972, which means making less
gasoline than they might otherwise be
making now. If the government im-
poses such a rule it will be in order to
satisfy the priorities it has set up.
But from the point of view of
the motorist, it adds up to this- We
start out with less crude oil and may
end up with less of it being turned into
gasoline.
The new allocation program
makes it more difficult for us to supply
those motorists who have been loyal
to Shell products and dealers in the
past.
Shell Oil Company, One Shell Plaza
P.O. Box 2463, Room 1541,
Houston, Texas 77001
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Pettigrew, Terrilee & Weigand, Anne. The Bellaire & Southwestern Texan (Bellaire, Tex.), Vol. 20, No. 47, Ed. 1 Wednesday, February 20, 1974, newspaper, February 20, 1974; Bellaire, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth567852/m1/8/?q=%22~1~1%22~1&rotate=270: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Bellaire Friends Library & Historical Society.