It infuriates me to think that every time I fill up my tank, I’m putting money in the pocket of Saudi oil sheiks who detest my country and consider the United States “the Great Satan.” I’m sure there are some perfectly nice people in Saudi Arabia who are not blind with hate of everything American except greenbacks and the protection we offer them. But enough of them want to see me, my family, my friends and my neighbors riddled with bullets that I detest the thought of putting more cash in Saudi hands.
I always figured it was an unavoidable fact of life that every time I filled my gas tank the money went to the Saudis. But I received an email yesterday that detailed which oil companies do and do not import their products from Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries, and thought I’d do some research to see whether it was accurate.
I was previously unaware that petroleum importers have to disclose to the Department of Energy the source of their products. By searching around on the DOE’s website, I found current information about oil import sources that generally corroborates the email I received. By doing a little background checking on the companies listed, I determined that by shopping for gas at certain stations and boycotting others I can do my part to keep the Persian Gulf oil sheiks from getting any richer.
Following are lists of gas station brand names that do and do not import oil from the Persian Gulf.
Gas station brands that import Persian Gulf oil
Shell
Chevron
Texaco
Exxon
Mobil
Marathon
Speedway
Diamond Shamrock
Gas station brands that DO NOT import Persian Gulf oil
Sunoco
Conoco
Sinclair
BP / Amoco
Citgo *
* - Note that while Citgo does not import oil from the Gulf, it is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Venezuelan state oil company. Depending on your political leanings, you may or may not want to support Hugo Chavez and his populist, pro-Cuban government.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Michael J. West
I've gone a step further, Taloran. I got rid of my car altogether!
2 - practical joe
Ignorance abounds!
Oil is fungible.
3 - practical joe
Now children --
After gas station brands that DO NOT import Persian Gulf oil get a lot more business than expected, will they will run out of gasoline?
Yes.
And when that happens, will their prices increase along with their long lines?
Yes.
And will these stations then buy gasoline from wherever they can get it?
Yes.
And will that make other suppliers happy because they will get even higher prices?
Yes.
Will that make the Saudis (or any other producers) happy to see prices go even higher?
Yes.
Any more questions?
4 - Michael J. West
Does not having a car boost oil prices too?
5 - Al Barger
I share your dislike of the Saud family, but this is a worthless gesture entirely. Oil sells in a very fluid market. Your and my use of petrol will ultimately reflect in market price the same no matter what point of entry we use to buy it.
If you really want to do something, come up with ways to actually use less. Not filling up the tank, and thus not contributing to the demand is the absolutely ONLY thing that's really going to have such an effect.
6 - Maurice
I am all for this! I am confused by the link. Your info above says Shell imports from the Persian Gulf. The link says it does not.
As long as we get it right I can't imagine anyone wanting to buy gas from the 'bad' suppliers.
7 - Taloran
practical joe "
I can only presume that my recommendation to boycott Saudi oil won’t instantaneously reach everyone in the country and lead to an immediate cessation of the flow of Saudi oil. If my presumption is correct, I don’t think your dire predictions are likely to come to pass, at least in the near future.
According to the DOE page linked above, 22% of US oil imports come from the Persian Gulf at this time. How much this varies is beyond my knowledge, and I don’t feel like looking it up.
If a few people, or a few thousand people, or a few ten thousands of people read this post or the email that prompted it, and decide that they prefer their money not to go to the Saudis, I’m certain that Venezuela, Canada, and the North Sea can meet increased demand. If said folks make similar posts on other websites and convince their friends and family to boycott Saudi oil, resulting in a few more tens of thousands of people boycotting Saudi oil, other oil-producing nations can handle it. If it snowballs further and drives Saudi imports down to the 10% range, BP, Citgo and Sinclair will happily boost production.
I’m reasonable enough to realize that this post on Blogcritics is extremely unlikely to have any effect whatsoever on the world flow of oil. The Saudis certainly won’t miss my $50 a week.
I for one will shop at non-Saudi-importing gas stations from now on. What you do is of course your business. If someone out there like me who finds the thought of sending their money to Saudi oil sheiks unpalatable reads this little, unimportant, not-world-changing post and learns that shopping at BP keeps his money out of their hands, I’ll be happy.
8 - Taloran
Maurice, Motiva Enterprises is a Shell subsidiary that imports 78% of its product from the Gulf. I looked them up because I was unfamiliar with the name. That's why I put Shell in the first list.
9 - Taloran
Al Barger, you seem to have misunderstood me. The reason I wrote this post is to inform people that they can have some personal satisfaction if they shop at stores in the second list, not to change the worldwide flow of oil or bring about the financial ruin of the Saud family.
10 - Al Barger
But Taloran, I don't see why you'd get any satisfaction at all out of such a gesture if it will not in fact make one iota of difference in the income of Sauds.
Now, you COULD walk to work or take mass transit. THAT would actually decrease demand, and work to reduce oil prices and the income and influence of all those Middle East oil producers.
That, however, would actually require some effort and sacrifice that very few would actually be willing to bear. Buying your gas at this station instead of that one is easy, and means absolutely nothing. When you come back telling me that you've started riding a bicycle to work every day instead of driving, then I'll figure you're serious about this.
11 - Taloran
Al, it's the same sort of satifaction I would get from keying a car with Saudi diplomatic plates, if I were the kind of person who did that sort of thing. Or supergluing a nickel to all the door locks.
Yes, I could walk or bike the 26 miles to work, but it would take me a heck of a long time to build up that sort of stamina, and I'd stink all day. I could take public transport if I didn't live in Denver, where a commute by bus would take approximately three hours each way (I tried it). I did buy a motorcycle specifically to cut down on my fuel consumption, but I later found that I'm afraid to ride it in the city with all the nutcases on the road, so it doesn't get used much.
So I'll just have to take my little bit of satisfaction where I can find it, whether you understand it or not.
12 - practical joe
“If someone out there like me who finds the thought of sending their money to Saudi oil sheiks unpalatable reads this little, unimportant, not-world-changing post and learns that shopping at BP keeps his money out of their hands, I’ll be happy.”
Key words -- “little, unimportant, not-world-changing…” i.e., worthless…
If worthless gestures make you happy, go stand in front of the Saudi Embassy and stick your tongue out at them.
13 - JR
Practical = defeatist?
14 - practical joe
This post has so much misinformation.
It is truly amazing how anyone could be taken in by an e-mail that is such an obvious joke.
“I’m certain that Venezuela, Canada, and the North Sea can meet increased demand.”
Certain? -- that these oil producers would pump more to keep the price of oil down?
If so, why haven’t they pumped more by now to keep the price down?
What would make any rational person believe that if the Saudis pumped less oil, other oil producers would say, “let’s pump more oil to keep the price of oil down and therefore, our income down”?
I can’t think of any country or business that would do this.
Oh -- one exception -- the Saudis have done it in the past.
Let’s pay them back now by pissing them off with nonsensical drivel.
15 - Dave Nalle
To the consumer oil is oil. How exactly do you plan to identify the evil Saudi oil so you can avoid it?
Dave
16 - practical joe
Isn't Saudi oil colored "evil"?
17 - Taloran
practical joe, if I walk into a store to make a purchase, and decide that the staff or the service at that store is consistently poor for one reason or another, I don't go back. If I find the wait staff at a restaurant unpleasant or surly, or the establishment less than hygienic, I similarly don't return. I rarely call the manager or owner of the store and complain about the situation, I simply take my business elsewhere.
Perhaps this behavior is worthless, or you find it worthless. But if I have a choice of two places to spend my money, I'll go to the one I prefer, not the one I dislike. If my gas money can either go to the Saudis or not, it won't go to the Saudis.
18 - Taloran
Dave, if BP imports no Saudi oil, and I buy my gas at a BP station, it stands to reason that I'm not buying Saudi oil. That is how I plan to identify it.
19 - practical joe
“Perhaps this behavior is worthless... If my gas money can either go to the Saudis or not, it won't go to the Saudis.”
Your money will go into the oil market -- which includes whatever oil the Saudis produce.
Oil is fungible.
Can you say -- F-U-N-G-I-B-L-E?
20 - Taloran
practical joe, you've taken me somewhat out of context in your comment 14. If you read what I wrote just before what you quoted, I said "If a few people, or a few thousand people, or a few ten thousands of people... I’m certain that Venezuela, Canada, and the North Sea can meet increased demand."
Can you please inform me what misinformation is in the post? Perhaps the lists of gas stations brands? The DOE's statistics that I linked to? My statement about some Saudis hating America? Citgo being owned by the Venezuelan state oil company? BP stations generally being clean and tidy? Since you are evidently a font of infinite wisdom, please enlighten me. I would be more than happy to change or make an addendum to the original post if anything is factually inaccurate therein.
21 - Dave Nalle
Not all of us have access to BP stations, Taloran. Most gas stations get oil from refineries which buy whatever is easily available on the market, regardless of where it comes from.
Dave
22 - practical joe
“practical joe, if I walk into a store to make a purchase, and decide that the staff or the service at that store is consistently poor for one reason or another, I don't go back.“
Now consider this.
Suppose this fruitcake idea takes hold and nobody buys Saudi oil.
That would reduce the world supply of oil enough to severely disrupt our economy.
It would be worse than the 1973 oil embargo disaster which Richard Nixon’s foreign policy managed to bring down upon this country.
Recall that the economy of this country went into a deep freeze for about ten years.
And when it started to come out, Jimmy Carter’s insistence that the Shah of Iran not be returned to Iraq for trial (sort of like what we are doing to Saddam), resulted in another pissing contest with an oil supplier which sent oil prices soaring again.
And now that we have invaded Iraq and "taken over" its oil fields -- what has happened to the price of oil?
This shows what happens when our Middle East policies screw around with our oil supply.
Before 1973, we paid 29 cents a gallon for gasoline.
23 - practical joe
Correction:
"The Shah of Iran not be returned to Iran".
24 - JR
Practical joe, I think you need to decide whether this boycott will do absolutely nothing or destroy the world.
25 - practical joe
Most likely -- absolutely nothing -- but if taken seriously -- destroy our economy.
If this is all a joke -- it should be in the joke section.