By Sumit Saha and Shariq Khan

(Reuters) -Phillips 66 and Kinder Morgan on Monday began soliciting shipper commitments for a proposed pipeline system that will move fuel from the Texas refining hub to bolster supplies in Arizona and California as a spate of refinery closures stokes supply concerns.

If constructed, the new pipelines could help ease the strain on West Coast fuel supply from the planned closures of Phillips 66’s Los Angeles refinery by the end of this year and Valero Energy’s Benicia refinery next year. Together, those refineries produce about 20% of California’s fuel requirements and help meet the needs of neighboring states. The planned closures have caused a scramble by regulators to find alternative means of supply.

The system proposed by Phillips 66 and Kinder Morgan w

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