The broader issue is that refinery capacity has not kept up with American demand for gasoline.

Traders and analysts said there were widespread concerns about possible shortages of refinery capacity.

Some traders and oil industry analysts have warned that shortages could result from a lack of refinery capacity.

Demand for gasoline remains strong, and shortages of refinery capacity persist, traders said.

Given the shortage of refinery capacity, the crude price has been nearly irrelevant lately.

The market was already unsettled by evidence of a lack of refinery capacity to meet the world's growing energy needs.

Mr. Domenici would also ask the oil companies to increase refinery capacity.

That has forced many oil companies to reconsider or scale back their plans for constructing new refinery capacity.

In the process, American refinery capacity has fallen to about 15.4 million barrels of oil a day, from nearly 19 million.

Yet we are all aware that, ultimately, part of the problem is refinery capacity.