This week, natural gas pipeline operator MarkWest Energy Partners LP (MWE) completed the sale of its under-construction hydrogen facility in Texas to Air Products and Chemicals Inc. (APD), a leading global hydrogen provider. Air Products agreed to pay approximately $73.1 million for the steam methane reformer (SMR) hydrogen facility currently being constructed at MarkWest’s Javelina processing facility in Corpus Christi, Texas. As per the terms of the deal, Air Products will complete the construction of the SMR, which is expected to start operations in March 2010. In addition to the purchase and sale agreement, the companies entered into a long-term supply contract whereby Air Products will provide hydrogen and steam to MarkWest. MarkWest will take hydrogen produced by the SMR facility (expected to be over 30 million cubic feet per day), combine it with the partnership’s existing production capabilities at the Javelina plant and then ...

Two Big Reasons to Dump your Oil Refinery

Tony Daltorio, The Investment U Research Team

Quite simply, this is not a good time to be in the business of refining oil in the United States.

The obvious reason for this is the continuing recession which has led to lower demand for gasoline and other refined products. With the summer driving season past the halfway point, having the word ’staycation’ become commonplace is not good news for the refiners.

But that’s not all. And it goes well beyond simple economic downturn.

There are other factors at work. And unfortunately, many have escaped the notice of many investors and much of Wall Street.

While everyone was focused on the sharp rise recently of the price of WTI crude oil, other things have been conspiring against domestic refiners of all sorts. Here’s what you need

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ZAGG Up 662%, LLFH Up 243%, LPIH Up 423%, and WEMU Up 61%

ORLANDO, Fla., June 17, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — RedChip Companies, Inc. (http://www.RedChip.com) announced today the top-performing stocks listed under RedChip coverage. RedChip’s “Top Picks” — stocks rated Buy or Strong Buy — which have the highest returns over the last three to six months include ZAGG Inc.; L & L International, Inc.; Longwei Petroleum Investment Holding, Inc.; and Worldwide Energy and Manufacturing USA, Inc.

ZAGG is up 662% since March 2, 2009; L & L is up 243% since April 15, 2009; Longwei Petroleum is up 423% since January 2, 2009; and Worldwide Energy and Manufacturing is up 61% since March 2, 2009. (Based on prices at market close on June 10, 2009.)

Profiles of RedChip’s top-performing stocks are as follows:

ZAGG Inc. (OTCBB:ZAGG) has reported double-digit revenue and earnings growth for the first quarter 2009. The

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In May, Axial Vector Energy Corp. announced that its PETRO AVEC Joint Venture partner, Petrosonics LLC, recently received a Russian patent protecting the purification process that removes sulfur and nitrogen compounds from diesel oil, FCC cycle oil, FCC slurry oil, light/heavy gas oil and coker gas oil fractions. The patent will remain in effect for 20 years with the possibility of an additional five-year extension.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Russia has 41 oil refineries with a total crude oil processing capacity of 5.4 million bbl/d, and produces significant amounts of heavy fuel oil, middle distillates, and gasoline. Roughly 20.5% of Russia’s total diesel output is exported. However, their refineries need to modernize in order to meet Europe’s growing demand for low sulfur fuels.

Dr. Mazin Samman, lead PETRO AVEC licensing negotiator for Russia, stated, “Russian oil companies are prime licensing

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Axial Vector Energy Corp. today announced that its PETRO AVEC Joint Venture partner, Petrosonics LLC, was awarded two Hong Kong Patents, resultant from the award of European Union patents 1 635 924 B1 and 1 668 095/04 781 388.6. The two patents protect the method by which sulfur and nitrogen bearing compounds are removed from diesel oil through the use of sonic energy and an oxidizing agent. They also protect a related process for the removal of the resultant oxidized sulfur and nitrogen contaminants.

Several oil and gas companies have based their operations in Hong Kong, including CNPC Hong Kong, China Resources Petroleum Company, Ltd., SS United Oil & Gas Company, the Hong Kong and China Gas Company and the Hong Kong Petrochemical Company. The Hong Kong Petrochemical Company plans to invest HK$40-60 billion in the construction of an oil refinery, oil tanks,

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Axial Vector Energy Corporation announced this morning that its PETRO AVEC Joint Venture partner, Petrosonics LLC, was recently awarded a Russian patent that protects the process by which sulfur and nitrogen bearing compounds are removed from diesel oil, FCC cycle oil, FCC slurry oil, light gas oil, heavy gas oil and coker gas oil fractions, utilizing sonic energy and oxidation. According to the press release, the patent will remain in effect for two decades with the possibility of a five year extension.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Russia has 41 oil refineries with a total crude oil processing capacity of 5.4 million bbl/d. Russian refineries produce approximately 1.2 million bbl/d of Mazut (heavy fuel oil), 1.3 million bbl/d of middle distillates, and 815,000 bbl/d of gasoline, but require modernization to meet Europe’s growing demand for low sulfur fuels.

Dr. Mazin Samman, lead

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by Edward Hugh: Barcelona"The Kazakh government is ready to step in,'' Kazakhstan's Prime Minister Karim Masimov said this morning in a telephone interview with Bloomberg "The Kazakh banking system with the support of the government and central bank will fulfill all obligations to international investors.....We have our own specific plan to survive without any external support....I don't think we need support from the International Monetary Fund or overseas.'' Well that is good news, so at least we know that one of the CIS and CEE economies won't be looking to the IMF for bail-out support in this crisis which is presently growing by the day. So Kazakstan, that country which is reputedly host to reserves of approximately 95% of the elements in the periodic table, with a population of around 15 million housed on a surface area greater than the whole of Western Europe, is going to be able to look after itself. But hang on a minute, just where is Kazakhstan, and just what have they been getting up to over there, and why the hell should I take Karim Masimov's word for it, when just about all the other Iceland Look-alike show contestants seem to be saying the same? After all, didn't those extermely bright and able young people over at RBC Capital Markets in Toronto say in a report only last week that, along with Latvia, the country's $100 billion oil-led economy is among the most vulnerable to the present global credit crisis and the skid-row economic trajectories that go with it simply because of its excessive reliance on short-term foreign borrowing. And isn't it the case that the cost of protecting Kazakhstan government debt against default has more than doubled this month - to over 1,000 basis points (or 10%), the level for borrowers that investors term ``distressed,'' according to CMA Datavision credit-default swap prices. Only Ukraine, which as we know is already seeking IMF support, is classified as being a bigger risk among European emerging-market governments. Surely all those highly dedicated, bright, and extremely able young people who are doing all that trading know what they are about, don't they?

Despite severe economic turmoil, demand for oil is rising significantly—in fact, it will land somewhere in the range of $150 to $157, according to Roger Wiegand, editor of Trader Tracks. In this exclusive interview with The Energy Report, Wiegand takes a close look at the untamed commodities bull and names some of his favorite buys.

The Energy Report: How does you think oil will play out in current economic scenario?

Roger Wiegand: The big sell-off during the past month or two was triggered when the funds bailed out. Roughly 50% of the CRB—the commodities index—is in oil. When oil moves, it moves the index. The sell-off brought oil down from a high of $147 to roughly $90. It bounced back up to $108 to $110; $108.50 is a good support and resistance level for oil today. The next price up should be $112.50, then $122.50, followed by a couple of more …

Sometimes innovative ideas are washed away and sometimes brilliant ideas are overlooked. Malcolm Bendall may be a genius who has been overlooked.

For over 30 years, Bendall, the CEO of the Kansas-based company Empire Energy Corporation International has been trying to convince the world that there is undiscovered oil and gas buried in Tasmania, Australia where neither has ever been found. In the process, Bendall has raised tens of millions of dollars for seismic and other geological studies that indicate the possibility that he may have been right. Soon, we will know if Bendall is right.

Last week, Bendall announced that Empire has become the first company to drill for oil and gas in Tasmania. Upon starting this process, it has been discovered that the independent firm RPS Energy has estimated the prospective presence of over 2.2 Billion barrels of trapped petroleum on Empire’s Tasmanian licensed area.

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Holy cow - you've got imagine that any government who lands a deal with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has got to cringe a little bit with the hyperbolic statements he tends to make afterward. This one comes from the Wall Street Journal report on the Venezuela-China agreement to build two oil refineries ... a creeping relationship we've been warning about for a while. "China is showing the world that it isn't necessary to harm anyone to be a great power. They are soldiers of peace," he said, according to a Venezuelan government statement. Asked about his absence from talks this week on the sidelines of the United Nations in New York, Mr. Chavez said: "It's much more important to be in Beijing than in New York."