Does the U.S. Need More Refineries? (VLO, XOM)

Does the U.S. Need More Refineries?

"I'm givin' her all that she's got captain!"

That may be a quote from a Star Trek character, but it also could be used to describe America's refinery business. With almost all Gulf Coast refiners at maximum capacity, some companies like Valero (NYSE: VLO ) are looking to ship crude from there to other facilities. Major companies like ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM ) and Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX ) have seen downstream margins expanding. Will they leave that cash in the segment and use it for expansion?

Today, Fool.com contributor Tyler Crowe checks in with the refining business in the U.S. and explains how a lack of investment in the industry could spell trouble down the road.

One company in the refining business that has been able to grow and take advantage of record-low prices for natural gas is Enterprise Products Partners. With its superior integrated asset base, it can profit from the massive bottlenecks in takeaway capacity by taking on large-scale projects. To help investors decide whether Enterprise Products Partners is a buy or a sell today, click here now to check out The Motley Fool's brand new premium research report on the company.

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Fool contributor Aimee Duffy owns shares of HollyFrontier. Fool contributor Tyler Crowe has no position in any stocks mentioned. You can follow them both on Fool.com under the handles TMFAimeeD and TMFDirtyBird.

The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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updated 1 day ago Sponsored by:
	DOW	15,303.10	8.60	0.06%
	S&P 500	1,649.60	-0.91	-0.06%
	NASD	3,459.14	-0.28	-0.01%

XOM	$91.53		-0.26	-0.28%
ExxonMobil Corp		CAPS Rating:

VLO	$40.06		-0.18	-0.45%
Valero Energy Corp		CAPS Rating:

MPC	$82.06		-0.30	-0.36%
Marathon Petroleum		CAPS Rating:

HFC	$48.73		+0.27	+0.56%
HollyFrontier Corp…		CAPS Rating:

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Does the U.S. Need More Refineries?

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