I guess I am not clear in my questions, or just don't understand. Initially you painted oil companies as greedy because they weren't building new refineries. That is a pretty derisive label right out of the box. Does a corporation that works for the shareholders(capitalism), owe it to society to invest in strategies that lose them money? Does Delta need to upgrade their IT department because someone(you) think there are better ways?

I agree, refined petrochemicals are a national necessity. If the government stepped in to build refineries, that would solve the problem. Will the Biden administration prosecute this course of action? Capitalism will not solve this dilemma due to lead time. By the time one administration comes in and says, "Drill , baby, drill" a new administration is elected that touts, " Shut down fossil fuel".

Therein lies the conundrum to planning 10 year projects that need decades to pay off.

BTW....... I'm a self ascribed idiot that doesn't keep up with the daily in's and out's of oil, but does understand long-term implications of politics, regulations and common sense.