Industry restructures, capacity up slightly

The U.S. refining industry may be starting to see a better economic picture, according to the Journal's latest survey of U.S. refineries. Crude oil charged to refineries was up slightly in 1985, and refinery utilization has improved. The industry has restructured somewhat with three major refineries changing hands and a new refinery started in Alaska. The industry also continues to strenghten its downstream processing technology. Almost all of the downstream processes scored capacity gains.