New York Times: Regulators to Examine Shell’s Closing of California Refinery
‘William E. Kovacic, the F.T.C.’s general counsel, said the agency’s investigation would “examine possible antitrust violations” by Shell’
Published: July 8, 2004
WASHINGTON, July 7 (Reuters) – The Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday that it had begun a formal investigation into the Royal Dutch/Shell Group’s plan to shut a California oil refinery, after some lawmakers said that closing it would hurt competition and increase gasoline prices on the West Coast.
William E. Kovacic, the F.T.C.’s general counsel, said the agency’s investigation would “examine possible antitrust violations” by Shell in closing the 70,000-barrel-a-day refinery in Bakersfield.
The agency regards the investigation “as a matter of particular urgency and importance,” Mr. Kovacic said, because Shell plans to close the refinery on Nov. 1.
Mr. Kovacic, who announced the inquiry at a hearing on gasoline prices held by a House Government Reform subcommittee, would not say when the agency planned to complete its investigation.
Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, and other West Coast lawmakers have been asking regulators for several months to examine whether Shell’s action is intended to hurt competition. Retail gasoline prices on the West Coast are always the highest in the nation, because of stricter environmental regulations and a lack of refining capacity.
Shell announced it would close the refinery because local sources of crude oil had declined, making the plant unprofitable. Other companies, though, have expressed an interest in buying the refinery and said there are oil supplies nearby to last another 20 years.
This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.
Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
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A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
