US asphalt shortage doubling imports

Journal Article · Wed Jun 27 04:00:00 EDT 1984 · Energy Detente; (United States)

OSTI ID:6775023

The United States is doubling its import levels of asphalt and providing a new and growing market for Venezuela. US asphalt imports are booming, for three reasons: (1) domestic production capacity has fallen with the demise of almost 100 refineries since 1981; (2) great need for highway renovation and expansion has convereged with 1983's federal fuel tax increase and certain state increases so tax coffers are now ready to be tapped; and (3) the petroleum-refining industry has been adding residual conversion capacities, which further reduces heavy bottoms yield. Add to this last year's reversal of a four-year decline in US demand for petroleum products, plus the recent economic upturn, and you get more motorists taking to roads requiring repair. A graph illustrates how during the 1982 season for asphalt consumption, April-October, imports peaked at close to 424,500 barrels of asphalt in August, almost double the peak import month of August during 1982. Extremely wet weather in the East and Midwest meant a slower start in 1984, but consumption and imports are expected even to exceed 1983 levels. This issue presents the fuel price/tax series and the principal industrial fuel prices for June 1984 for countries of the Western Hemisphere.

• OSTI ID: 6775023
• Journal Information: Energy Detente; (United States), Journal Name: Energy Detente; (United States) Vol. 5:12; ISSN EDETD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English and Spanish

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020500* -- Petroleum-- Products & By-Products
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
294002 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Petroleum
ASPHALTS
BITUMENS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
COAL
DATA
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
IMPORTS
INFORMATION
LATIN AMERICA
MATERIALS
NATURAL GAS
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
PRICES
PRODUCTION
SOUTH AMERICA
STATISTICAL DATA
SUPPLY AND DEMAND
TAR
TAXES
USA
VENEZUELA