Heating oil stocks have been low as refineries concentrated on producing as much gasoline as possible. Because stockpiles are down, costs will remain higher. At the same time, the price of natural gas, which heats about half the nation's homes and is the primary heating fuel in the Midwest, doubled in the last year. Many new electric generating plants are using natural gas to fuel generators, increasing demand. Also, during peak summer cooling times, many plants use natural gas to supplement the coal they burn.
Heating oil is a distillate produced during the crude oil refining process as gasoline is produced.
Natural gas is mainly a methane gas found in conjunction with crude oil. The NRC, with assistance from R.W. Beck Consultants, will correlate Missouri's data with similar information compiled from other states to develop an economic picture of how recycling supports economic development and enhances local economies. The NRC plans to release a preliminary report on the findings in September. This chemical is an organophosphate insecticide found in many home and agricultural products and some termite treatments. EPA's revised risk assessment determined chlorpyrifos threatens the health of children.