White House targets private investors to resurrect idle refineries nationwide

The White House is pushing private investment to reopen mothballed U.S. refineries—from California to St. Croix—by coordinating with the National Energy Dominance Council and easing regulatory hurdles, with potential backers like the Freedom Fuel Network eyeing a Pentagon jet-fuel contract; a restart at St. Croix is estimated at about $686 million to reach 180,000 barrels per day, aiming to bolster domestic refining capacity and curb fuel prices, despite past environmental and permitting challenges at the site.