Anyone know what happened to Amoco Premier in Minnesota?

[Wayne Lindholm]

I an trying to determine what happened to Amoco Premier in Minnesota. 3+ years ago, I could buy it at local (Mpls./St. Paul) Amoco stations. One by one, the diesel tanks were pulled or converted. The product was supplied to Minnesota from the [then] Amoco refinery in Mandan, ND and delivered to the Roseville, MN, distribution center for local pick up by transporters. I called the Roseville dist. center yesterday and discovered that it is no longer owned and operated by Amoco but that they still receive Premier from Mandan. However, to this persons knowledge, no Amoco [now BP] stations receive it. Only indepedent jobbers pick up Premier and take it to who knows where. I wonder if Premier in Minnesota is now available only for agricultural (i.e. off-road) use.

I will continue to look for an answer and will try to contact BP/Amoco marketing to learn more.

[dabenz]

Wayne,

The Mandan plant was bought by Tesoro, and independent. Amoco stations in ND changed to Tesoro name, MN still mostly Amoco name.

To my knowledge, the diesel is now marketed as military jet fuel (mostly JP-2, some JP-5). Some backlash amongst farmers as they dropped the ethanol line in ND.

Your name sounds familiar. I'm back at UND myself doing the midlife crisis (MS in Mechanical Engineering), start at the EERC in June (Advanced Power Systems - mostly power plant stuff, but a fellow alum is feeling out both ME and EERC to convert a jet ski to diesel!

[Wayne Lindholm]

Interesting - these changes in Amoco go far beyond a merger and signage change. Tesoro is who runs (and apparently owns) the Roseville, MN terminal that was Amoco and was our old link to getting Premier in the Twin Cities. This also explains the silence when I ask Amoco [now BP] folks about Premier - that was then, this is now. FYI, I am told Amoco retail stores in our area will be branded BP eventually.

I'm going to change my Minnesota search for quality, high cetane diesel to the new Bio Diesel that is just starting to be sold in our area. Another option is Koch Petroleum (now Flint Hills Resources). They operate a refinery near Hastings, MN, that I understand produces a high (50) cetane diesel that is popular amoung the agricultural trade. Apparently farm users know a good thing when it comes to diesel fuels.

I worked for 4 years at the 3M facility in Wahpeton, ND, during the mid-80s. We had several engineers in our group from UND and NDSU - both seemed like good programs. I also did the mid-career thing and recently finished a MMSE program (Master of Manufacturing Systems Engineering) at University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. Very rewarding and glad it did it.

Good luck with your masters program and thanks for the scoop on Amoco, er Tesoro, er BP!

[Wayne Lindholm]

I just learned in another thread: Koch is producing Soy Diesel, not Bio Diesel. Both seem to have fans.

[dabenz]

It is a changing world. I'd like to try hybrid diesel/electric, but US sulfur content and US Tier II emission standards are technology killers.

Ideas for you: City of Fargo, ND runs bio, mixes #1 for winter. A guy in Harvey, ND home brews used cooking oil, mixes #1 and possibly gasoline for winter. Bear, an Englishman on this site, uses raw cooking oil. All share ideas. Happy hunting!

The meaning of college degrees:
BA - back a**.
BS - bull s**t.
MS - more s**t.
MBA - more back a**.
PhD - piled higher and deeper.

[Wayne Lindholm]

Exactly - some understand the more you know, the more you realize you don't know. The dangerous ones are those who don't know what they don't know! Ahhhhh, ignorance is bliss.

Interesting about the city of Fargo, I'll sniff out what they are doing. I've dipped into some of the home brew stuff and so far, it doesn't appeal to me. Mostly because I favor mechanical processes where I can see, touch, or feel what's happening.

Over lunch today, I checked out John Tracy's - "Tracy 1-Stop" fuel station in the midway area of the Twin Cities (651-641-1045). He stocks two diesels - standard #2 that is competitively priced and a premium #2 that is Koch's 50 Cetane product. The 50 Cetane product is stocked April 1 through Sept. 30th - the rest of the year, that tank pumps Koch's 'Artic' blend.

Thanks again for the Amoco/Mandan info., it appears BP Amoco may be embracing the EVA method of increasing shareholder value - i.e. get as much assets off the books as possible - don't own what you can buy. Or, put another way, own market share, not plants.