Ep. 138: Robert Rapier Explains US Refiners Could Process Shale Oil, But Better To Export It

Robert Rapier has decades of experience in fossil and biofuels, including six years with ConocoPhillips. He joins Bob to correct a common misconception about US refineries. Although in practice they focus on heavy sour crude (sourced from Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela), they are physically capable of handling the light sweet produced by the fracking boom. It just makes more economic sense to export those barrels abroad and fetch a higher price. Rapier's analysis gives a better understanding of US energy independence in these volatile times. Related: - https://www.forbes.com/sites/rrapier/2026/04/05/debunking-a-persistent-myth-us-refineries-cant-handle-shale-oil - https://infineo.ai/resources/blog/iran-conflict-and-complexities-of-global-oil-trade-1-of-2  Watch the video version of this episode here: https://youtu.be/79JO1WSDwFY  Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/3XXfmGS  Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/infineogroup  Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/infineogroup  Learn more about Infineo at: https://www.infineo.io  Audio Production by Podsworth Media - https://podsworth.com