Turn Around! Every now and then…

Sorry, I can't help but think of that old Bonnie Tyler song, Total Eclipse of The Heart, ever time I hear the words turn around. Today I'm not talking about 80's pop, but about the turnarounds happening at all 3 of our local refineries.

You might think the refineries are smelly, and maybe you're not real sure what they even do.  But here are some fun facts:  The first refinery opened in Laurel in 1930.  The other two in Billings opened a short time later.  Each of our refineries processes over 60,000 barrels of per day! Not all of it is oil. Some becomes gasoline, some becomes lubricants, some becomes solvents, etc. Oil provides much for than fuel for cars.

And the refineries are a huge impact financially. I heard they account for almost 30% of all manufacturing jobs in Yellowstone County.  And most of those jobs pay quite well. Routine maintenance (the "turnaround") brings 100's of extra workers to our communities, for months at a time. They shop, eat and buy stuff in our towns. Great for the economy.

Later,

Michael