부산대학교 도서관

The small and independent refiners challenge the Reagan Administration's reliance on the free market on the grounds that the petroleum market is not free. A decline in refinery demand which makes these refiners especially vulnerable adds to the problem in that, because they produce little if any oil, they are also in a supply and price squeeze. Although the group lobbies and is submitting legislative proposals, there is no agreement on what kind of Federal help the independents want even if they can get it. Their arguments for help stress that independent competition benefits consumers, national security, and rural areas and moderates prices during supply emergencies. Congress has been advised not to confuse the security question of emergency planning with the political question of helping independent refiners. (DCK)