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Vance blamed Biden for gas prices. PolitiFact says otherwise
Fact-checkers said the 20% figure applies to California, while national refinery capacity stayed largely stable and experts cited global supply shocks for higher gas prices.
- PolitiFact fact-checked Vance's Oct. 17 claim that 20% of U.S. refining capacity went offline under President Joe Biden, labeling it inaccurate. Only California lost 20% of its capacity; national levels remained stable.
- Rising gasoline prices stem primarily from the war in Iran and global refinery shocks, not presidential policy, energy economists say. Attacks in Russia and the Middle East have taken 3 million barrels of daily capacity offline.
- Closures of a Phillips 66 facility in Los Angeles and a Valero plant in Benicia occurred during President Donald Trump's second term. National capacity remained relatively stable throughout both administrations.
- Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, called the 20% figure "not a correct statistic in terms of national refinery capacity." Market forces drive production more than government policy.
- Since 2019, global demand has grown by about 4.5 million barrels a day while capacity has shrunk by about 1 million. Future refinery operations face pressures from electric vehicle growth and the transition to cleaner energy.
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Total News Sources26
Leaning Left0Leaning Right0Center26Last UpdatedBias Distribution100% Center
Bias Distribution
- 100% of the sources are Center
100% Center
C 100%
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