100 years and counting

March 18, 2002
By now, OGJ readers have probably noticed the "A Century of Industry Leadership" emblem on the cover of recent Oil & Gas Journals. As OGJ celebrates its 100th anniversary, another industry institution is celebrating the same milestone-National Petrochemical & Refiners Association.

By now, OGJ readers have probably noticed the "A Century of Industry Leadership" emblem on the cover of recent Oil & Gas Journals. As OGJ celebrates its 100th anniversary, another industry institution is celebrating the same milestone-National Petrochemical & Refiners Association.

NPRA and OGJ were born about 3 weeks apart in 1902; OGJ on May 24 and NPRA on June 17. Of course, neither organization had its current moni- ker at that time. NPRA was formed as the National Petroleum Association (NPA), and OGJ was initially called Oil Investor's Journal.

The history of NPRA

The association that most resembles present-day NPRA was formed in 1961 through a merger of NPA and the Western Petroleum Refiners Association (WPRA).

The Independent Oil Refiners of Pennsylvania & Ohio formed NPA in 1902. Initially, NPA membership consisted of smaller, independent refiners in the US Northeast. That changed, however, in 1928 when it invited two larger refiners, including Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey, to join. Throughout its life, NPA remained representative of East Coast refiners.

In 1912, Midcontinent refiners formed the WPRA, with its unofficial headquarters in Tulsa. OGJ had moved its headquarters to Tulsa just 2 years earlier. During the ensuing years, WPRA expanded its membership through mergers. WPRA merged with the Texas Petroleum Refiners Association in 1912 and with the Arkansas-Louisiana Refiners Association in 1936.

In 1961, NPA and WPRA officially merged to form the National Petroleum Refiners Association. Since 1918, however, the two associations shared offices in Washington, DC, and maintained a close partnership in the interim.

In 1998, NPRA kept its acronym but changed its official name to National Petrochemical & Refiners Association to reflect the larger role and integration of petrochemicals within the refining industry.

An industry voice

Throughout its existence, NPRA has served as the voice of the refining industry. In its infancy, NPA was organized to ensure fair competition in the refining industry, but the association quickly evolved into an industry representative to US government groups. In those days, the main refining product was kerosine for home heating and lighting, and it faced increased competition from electricity.

NPA and WPRA realized the importance of being more closely involved with the federal government, which is why the Washington, DC, office was opened in 1918. Gasoline was gaining demand in association with the growing automobile industry.

Soon after that, with the advent of World War I, aviation naphtha became another refined product in high demand. WWI also served to form refiners into a more cooperative industry, which the two associations aptly represented.

NPA and WPRA took on a new role in the mid 1920s-as a forum for technology exchange. This role became important during WWII as refiners operated at full capacity and needed the latest technological advances to maximize production.

As the refiners and NPRA grew in the next decades, so did the challenges facing the industry. The Clean Air Act of 1970 and its amendments of 1990 re- quired refiners to vastly modify product specifications. NPRA has represented the refining industry through these periods, helping to lessen any negative economic impacts of the stringent environmental requirements.

Currently, NPRA represents about 450 refiners, petrochemical producers, and the companies that support these industries (see related. Although it has "national" in its title, NPRA is an international organization to a great extent. Over 15% of its members are non-US refiners and petrochemical producers.

The future

Refiners still face the challenge of a possible phase-out of methyl tertiary butyl ether from gasoline, as well as more-stringent sulfur standards for gasoline and diesel. And other challenges may arise from alternative fuels and energy sources, competing technologies, questionable feedstock availability, and a possible decline in refined product demand.

If the past is any indication, the refining industry will continue to meet these challenges with the help of NPRA. It is hoped they will be around for at least another 100 years.