Drought Conditions Impact US Transport and Refining Systems

摘要

More than half of the United States is in the grip of the worst drought since the Great Depression. The National Weather Service says that more than half the counties in the contiguous US are now disaster areas, while the Department of Agriculture estimates 88% of the year’s corn crop is in poor condition. The persistent dry conditions threaten not only food but crude oil, refined products and ethanol prices, as water is an essential, if unremarkable, resource for all aspects of the petroleum industry.