Thomas J. Nimbley - PBF Energy, Inc.
Management
Thank you, Erik, and good morning, everyone. As Erik mentioned, we reported strong results for the third quarter. The results reflect the work and the capital that we have put into our assets. That work is continuous. And we still have improvements to make and opportunities to capitalize on, but our results in the quarter were only possible through strong operations. We had five operating refineries, we achieved record throughput levels, and we were able to capitalize on strong market conditions. While one quarter is not victory, we feel that this quarter is reflective of the true potential of our assets. Our Chalmette refinery achieved the highest throughput we have seen, and their operating costs continue to trend down as we expected. Torrance's post-turnaround performance has also met our expectations. The refinery achieved record throughput rates in August and September, and we expect that trend to continue. We have been working diligently at Torrance to improve the facility, increase reliability and develop the workforce. The fruits of our efforts should be safe and reliable operations, lower operating cost and increased profitability. Our post-turnaround performance shows we are on the right track. The largest headwind to our business is the regulatory oppression that we are experiencing coming out of Washington and, more specifically, the EPA. The disappointing comments from the EPA regarding renewable fuels blending and any potential for a shift in the point of obligation are just more examples of the inability to get things done in Washington. The EPA and the administration caved to the high-pressure tactics of the corn lobby, otherwise known as extortion and blackmail, aimed at maintaining the status quo and sustaining policies that are harmful toward the American workers and consumers. Recently, nine senators from throughout the country, including Pennsylvania and Texas, sent a letter to the White House calling for a comprehensive discussion on the topic. Importantly, this issue is far from settled. Beyond the RFS, the macro backdrop for our industry looks very promising heading into the year-end and 2018. The demand picture looks good, especially for distillates as a result of strong global economic growth. Global gasoline and distillates stock levels have come down from their peaks, domestic stocks have drawn down and returned to more normalized five-year averages. Overall, our outlook is positive. The macro picture is encouraging. Our refineries are running well. The regulatory battles will certainly continue. And there are other changes on the horizon which could favorably impact our industry. Before closing, I would like to congratulate my colleague and friend, Jack Lipinski, on his announced retirement. Jack has served the industry well for many years, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors. Operator, we've completed our opening remarks, and we'd be pleased to take any questions.