CHS Inc. Laurel Refinery (Cenex)

CHS Inc. · Laurel, MT

Operating PADD4 IRS refinery no. R-81-MT-0075 diesel-maximization

Aerial view of the site Imagery: USDA, USGS The National Map (public domain)

bpd crude capacity · EIA 2026: 62,500
pipelines it injects into: 2
delivery points reachable: 8
terminals on those points: 10
events on record: 3

Capability

Crude distillation 62,500 bpd operable, 62,500 operating (EIA-820, as of 2026-01-01). Downstream units below, barrels per calendar day.

Conversion — makes gasoline and diesel from heavier oil

Catalytic cracking (FCC)	15,000
Delayed coking	15,000

Upgrading

Catalytic reforming — low pressure	11,700
Vacuum distillation	32,200 sd

Treating — meets sulfur specs

Hydrotreating — naphtha / reformer feed	17,000 sd
Hydrotreating — heavy gas oil	20,000 sd
Hydrotreating — other distillate	24,500 sd

Production capacity

Alkylates · 4,000 Asphalt road oil · 19,800 Hydrogen mmcfd · 70 Isomerization isobutane · 1,250 Petcoke market · 4,800 Sulfur short tons day · 243

Crude slate

Canadian crude oil (specific grade unspecified in source)

Crude in & products out

Direction	Mode	Route	Point / origin	Products	Source
crude in	pipeline	Front Range Pipeline Front Range Pipeline, LLC (MT) carries crude from the International Boundary in Toole County to Cut Bank under F.E.R.C. No. 1.6.0, effective July 2026. Its Montana P.S.C. No. 32 tariff moves crude from Cut Bank, Santa Rita Station and Buffalo to Laurel, Yellowstone County. The tariff accepts light or medium crude only, 350 centistokes maximum.	International Boundary, Toole County, Montana, and Montana receipt points at Cut Bank, Santa Rita Station and Buffalo	crude	source
products out	pipeline	Yellowstone Pipeline (outbound refined products) CHS's site states the Laurel refinery 'specializes in maximizing diesel production' and 'distributes products throughout the northern tier of the United States.' A named outbound Yellowstone Pipeline is consistent with this, but the pipeline name itself was not stated on the fetched page -- carried over from the graph and general industry knowledge, not independently re-confirmed.	Laurel, MT	distillate	source
products out	pipeline	Cenex Pipeline Cenex Pipeline, LLC F.E.R.C. No. 14.12.0, effective July 2026, is a local tariff on petroleum products from Laurel to Minot, Ward County, North Dakota. The carrier provides no storage at origin or destination. From Minot the line continues to Prosper Jct., North Dakota, where Magellan's Minot joint rates with Cenex Pipeline pick up at Fargo Jct.	Laurel, Yellowstone County, Montana (tariff origin)	gasoline distillate jet fuel	source
products out	truck rack	CHS Petroleum Terminal-Laurel (T-81-MT-4005) The IRS terminal record is at the refinery's own address on the Montana DEQ operating permit, so this is the refinery's rack operated by CHS. The permit, effective November 2025, lists a light product truck loading rack for gasoline and distillate, a heavy oil truck rack and asphalt loading.	803 Highway 212 South, Laurel, MT (at the refinery)	gasoline distillate asphalt	source
products out	rail	Railcar loading at the refinery The Montana DEQ operating permit, effective November 2025, covers a railcar light product loading rack, a heavy oil rail rack and coke loading into railcars. Gasoline blending components are also unloaded from railcars. The serving railroad is not named.	Laurel, MT (at the refinery)	gasoline distillate asphalt petroleum coke	source

Pipeline reach

Pipeline	Injects at	Delivery points	Terminals	Lowest ¢/bbl	Median ¢/bbl
Yellowstone Pipeline	Billings, Montana (Billings-area refineries) per research	5	7	55.68	132.19
Cenex Pipeline	Laurel, Yellowstone County, MT (CHS refinery) per research	3	3	39.33	165.37

Substitutes

Other refineries injecting into the same pipelines — the supply that could backfill an outage here.

Cenex Pipeline

Phillips 66 Company · Billings, MT 71,000 bpd
Exxonmobil Refining & Supply CO · Billings, MT 61,500 bpd

Yellowstone Pipeline

Phillips 66 Company · Billings, MT 71,000 bpd
Exxonmobil Refining & Supply CO · Billings, MT 61,500 bpd

Events

2025-09 regulatory
Montana DEQ published a consent order with a $100,000 fine (described as the state maximum) after CHS failed 32 of 44 tests for excess nitrogen/ammonia in wastewater discharged to the Yellowstone River, June 2021 to Jan 2025 (from search snippet; article fetch blocked). source
2025 regulatory
Montana DEQ proposed reissuing the hazardous waste permit (post-closure care of a closed land treatment unit and facility-wide corrective action), with comments due July 31, 2025. DEQ's decision on air operating permit OP1821-23 is dated October 1, 2025, and the permit took effect November 1, 2025. source
2023-04 turnaround
Spring 2023 turnaround: a 30-day effort with more than 50,000 work activities and thousands of employees and contractors on site. source

Rates are pipeline line-haul transcribed from published FERC tariffs; every figure cites its tariff and item. Cost to serve (netback) adds origin spot price and destination fees. "Confirmed" links match a tariff delivery point to the facility; "same city" means the point is in the facility's city — plausible, not proof; "per research" means the facility's research profile names the pipeline as an outlet.