Oil company profits boom as Americans reel from high fuel prices

theguardian.com:

The US’s biggest oil companies pumped out record profits over the last few months as Americans struggled to pay for gasoline, food and other basic necessities.

On Friday, ExxonMobil reported an unprecedented $17.85bn (£14.77bn) profit for the second quarter, nearly four times as much as the same period a year ago, and Chevron made a record $11.62bn (£9.61bn). The sky-high profits come one day after the UK’s Shell shattered its own profit record.

Soaring energy prices have rattled consumers and become a political flashpoint. “We’re going to make sure everybody knows Exxon’s profits,” Joe Biden said in June. “Exxon made more money than God this year.”

The record profits came after similarly outsized gains in the first quarter when the largest oil companies made close to $100bn in profits.

High energy prices are one of the major factors driving inflation to a four-decade high in the US. Gas prices have fallen slightly in recent weeks but are now averaging $4.25 a gallon across the US, more than $1 a gallon higher than a year ago.

Consumers are facing high fuel prices not just at the pump. Soaring energy prices are being baked into delivery costs, which is driving up the cost of everything from apples to toilet paper.

One reason gasoline prices have been so high is that fewer refineries are operating in the US than before the pandemic, so there is a limit to how much gasoline can be produced.

Biden has called for the companies to increase production and refining capacities in an attempt to bring down prices. On Friday Exxon said it was expanding refinery and production in Texas and New Mexico.

Exxon, based in Irving, Texas, increased its oil and gas production as crude prices hovered above $100 a barrel. Revenue at Exxon soared to