Big Oil Companies Reap Windfall From Ethanol Rules

Some refiners stand to rake in $1 billion by selling fuel credits, while others must spend millions to comply. Companies including  Chevron Corp., Royal Dutch Shell PLC, and BP PLC could reap a total of more than $1 billion this year by selling the renewable fuel credits associated with the ethanol program, according to an analysis commissioned by CVR Energy, a refinery operator controlled by billionaire Carl Icahn, a vocal critic of the rules.   The ethanol and biodiesel program, created during President George W. Bush’s administration, was aimed in part at reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil. But those concerns have waned as a result of the abundant new U.S. oil and gas supplies unlocked by shale drilling. The rules require refiners to either blend ethanol with the gasoline they produce or buy credits. Another area of dispute is the step in the fuel supply chain at which the credits are created. It takes place at the point where ethanol and gasoline are blended. That favors companies that control vast networks of gasoline stations and thus reap more credits than the amount of oil they actually refine into fuel, while disadvantaging smaller refiners without as much of a retail presence.