The White House is particularly focused on the shuttered St. Croix plant in the Virgin Islands, citing its Venezuelan crude design and strategic location amid elevated gasoline prices.
The Trump administration is seeking to reopen shuttered oil refineries across the United States, with particular attention on the St. Croix refinery in the Virgin Islands, as gasoline prices stay elevated during the war in Iran. A White House official said the administration wants refineries to resume operations, especially the St. Croix facility, describing it as strategically important and noting it was built to process Venezuelan oil. The official said companies have approached the administration since April 2025 about buying the refinery, with that interest increasing after the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and the U.S. takeover of the country’s infrastructure. Politico first reported the broader refinery effort, citing three industry executives who said the White House has discussed reopening facilities from the Virgin Islands to California. White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said, “Energy security is national security, and America’s refining capacity is essential to ensuring the United States has continuous access to secure, affordable, and reliable energy.” She added that “The President’s National Energy Dominance Council will continue supporting the reopening of shuttered refineries and the construction of new ones to lower prices and strengthen our national security.” The policy push comes as the average U.S. gasoline price stood at about $4.10 per gallon on Thursday, according to AAA, more than $1 above its level when the war began earlier this year. The St. Croix refinery has been closed indefinitely since 2021, after the EPA (U.S. environmental regulator) ordered a 60-day shutdown, saying oil releases and air pollution posed an “imminent risk to public health.” Because refineries convert oil into gasoline, refining capacity can influence pump prices alongside crude costs.