The recent recession, among other factors, reduced petroleum product demand across OECD regions and has precipitated widespread refinery sales and closures. Several of these closures have occurred or are threatened in the U.S. Northeast as summarized in Exhibit 1-1, taken from a February 2012 EIA report on the topic.
For full details, see the study and key finding documents for "Impacts of East Coast Refinery Closures" below: