Letter: Groups behind refinery closures

Friday, July 16, 2004 | 8:49 a.m.

In your July 12 editorial you lament the planned closing of a refinery in Bakersfield, Calif., saying it will drive up gasoline prices in Southern Nevada. You further state that from 1985 to 1995, 10 California refineries were closed.

Are you blaming the oil companies? Or can the reason for the closures be linked to the Sierra Club and other environmental groups that are against any new drilling, either offshore or, let's say, in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

These groups have kept the price of gasoline at an inflated rate (although taxes are a good deal of the cause). The reason no new refineries have been built is the fault of these groups, not the oil companies.

DAN ORMSBY

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