Chevron USA Inc. v. Plaquemines Parish · ¶22

When the United States entered the Second World War, aviation gasoline—or “avgas”—became critical for the military. The war spurred “a race to gain mastery of the skies.” A. Baime, The Arsenal of Democracy 133 (2014). Success in the air required high-octane avgas, a “superfuel” for combat aircraft that helped to produce “more speed, more power, [and] quicker take-off.” J. Frey & H. Ide, A History of the Petroleum Administration for War, 1941–1945, p. 193 (1946) (P. A. W. History). Avgas refning therefore had to keep pace with the “astonishing expansion of aerial activity” during the war. Ibid. In June 1940, the U. S. military used about 4,000 barrels of avgas per day, while American industry could refne 30,000 to 40,000 barrels per day. Id., at 194. By 1944, at the height of U. S. involvement in the war, the U. S. military needed 636,000 barrels per day. Ibid.

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