{"id":2690753,"date":"2026-10-24T08:53:56","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T12:53:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/banning-diesel-exports-is-not-the-answer-but-if-we-dont-save-some-were-in-deep-trouble\/"},"modified":"2026-10-24T08:53:56","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T12:53:56","slug":"banning-diesel-exports-is-not-the-answer-but-if-we-dont-save-some-were-in-deep-trouble","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/banning-diesel-exports-is-not-the-answer-but-if-we-dont-save-some-were-in-deep-trouble\/","title":{"rendered":"Banning Diesel Exports Is Not the Answer, But If We Don&#8217;t Save Some We&#8217;re in Deep Trouble"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbanning-diesel-exports-is-not-the-answer-but-if-we-dont-save-some-were-in-deep-trouble%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2690753&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>America is not running out of diesel. We are running out of cushion. U.S. refineries are producing more than <a href=\"https:\/\/afpm.org\/newsroom\/blog\/why-diesel-export-ban-would-backfire\">5 million<\/a> barrels a day of distillate fuel, mostly diesel. Americans use roughly 3.6 to 3.8 million barrels a day.<\/p>\n<p>Recently, we have been exporting more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstonpublicmedia.org\/articles\/news\/energy-environment\/2026\/10\/01\/563328\/trumps-proposed-ban-on-diesel-exports-could-have-unintended-consequences-for-texas-refineries\/\">1.3 million<\/a> barrels a day, and in one week in August, exports reached a record <a href=\"https:\/\/stillwaterassociates.com\/a-diesel-export-ban-would-cut-refinery-runs-not-fuel-bills\/\">1.88 million<\/a> barrels.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, U.S. inventories sit at about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/TODAYINENERGY\/detail.php?id=68164\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/TODAYINENERGY\/detail.php?id%3D68164&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1791990786177000&#038;usg=AOvVaw1lAc6998ARKyKtHuRSAkvp\">13 percent, or roughly 16 million barrels, below<\/a> the five-year seasonal average, and refineries are running at about 97 percent of capacity. There is little room to simply make more. U.S. inventories haven\u2019t been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/dnav\/pet\/hist\/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&#038;s=WDISTUS1&#038;f=W\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/dnav\/pet\/hist\/LeafHandler.ashx?n%3DPET%26s%3DWDISTUS1%26f%3DW&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1791990786177000&#038;usg=AOvVaw1tVIx-35b53um5KhF2V_mr\">this low in September in decades<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Inventories are America\u2019s shock absorber. They protect us when a refinery goes down, a hurricane hits the Gulf Coast, or a pipeline fails. Heading into harvest and heating season, that cushion is thin.<\/p>\n<p>War explains much of it. Drone strikes have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.api.org\/news-policy-and-issues\/news\/2026\/08\/26\/inside-the-global-squeeze-on-diesel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.api.org\/news-policy-and-issues\/news\/2026\/08\/26\/inside-the-global-squeeze-on-diesel&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1791990786177000&#038;usg=AOvVaw27Q3eH-AN-eOjhhlUC2JTE\">damaged Middle East refineries and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz<\/a>. Ukrainian strikes idled Russian refineries, and <a href=\"https:\/\/money.usnews.com\/investing\/news\/articles\/2026-07-08\/us-diesel-futures-post-biggest-daily-gains-in-four-years-after-russia-bans-exports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/money.usnews.com\/investing\/news\/articles\/2026-07-08\/us-diesel-futures-post-biggest-daily-gains-in-four-years-after-russia-bans-exports&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1791990786177000&#038;usg=AOvVaw0rkcYy8ElCuDIe8VUb5Xld\">Russia banned diesel exports in July<\/a>. China curtailed its own exports.<\/p>\n<p>Buyers turned to American refiners. U.S. distillate exports ran <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/todayinenergy\/detail.php?id=67865\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/todayinenergy\/detail.php?id%3D67865&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1791990786177000&#038;usg=AOvVaw0vNwcfU_OVrx1aGZUiM2-q\">30 percent above their five-year average<\/a> this spring. That helped supply the world. It also meant a foreign-caused shock showed up at the American pump.<\/p>\n<p>A complete export ban is the wrong answer.<\/p>\n<p>Refineries make gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel from the same barrel of crude. S&#038;P Global has estimated that a full ban could <a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanactionforum.org\/insight\/a-diesel-export-ban-wont-solve-high-fuel-prices\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.americanactionforum.org\/insight\/a-diesel-export-ban-wont-solve-high-fuel-prices\/&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1791990786177000&#038;usg=AOvVaw0oGRKYDIMip7oX6QGgUEKU\">force refiners to cut crude runs by about 2 million barrels a day<\/a>. That means less gasoline and jet fuel, too. We would solve one problem by creating others.<\/p>\n<p>A narrower approach fits the arithmetic: temporarily keep a modest  of production at home to rebuild the winter cushion.<\/p>\n<p>The numbers are not enormous. Keeping 200,000 barrels a day here adds about 6 million barrels in a month. At 300,000, it is 9 million. At 400,000, it is 12 million. That is roughly 15 to 30 percent of recent exports \u2014 a refill and not an embargo. It is also a fraction of the volume a full ban would trap, so it is far less likely to push storage toward overflow.<\/p>\n<p>Diesel demand barely moves when prices rise. Trucks still deliver groceries and farmers still harvest. Extra barrels would show up as inventory builds, and markets price the risk of tomorrow\u2019s shortage, not just today\u2019s supply.<\/p>\n<p>One independent <a href=\"https:\/\/agricultural.substack.com\/p\/the-diesel-forecast\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/agricultural.substack.com\/p\/the-diesel-forecast&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1791990786177000&#038;usg=AOvVaw0BNIApFaOf32xMnddY13_A\">analysis of weekly EIA data from 2006 through 2025<\/a> found that each 1 percent increase in days of supply was associated with roughly a 1.7 percent narrower refining margin. That is an association, not a guarantee, and it does not mean pump prices would fall 15 percent. But the refining margin is a large part of today\u2019s price, and a visible rebuild could take a meaningful bite out of it.<\/p>\n<p>A quota is not free. Refiners would earn less on barrels they cannot sell abroad, and some might trim output. Free-market conservatives should be wary of any export limit. That is why this one must be small, temporary, and reviewed.<\/p>\n<p>Here is what that looks like:<\/p>\n<p>Cap the diversion at 200,000 to 400,000 barrels a day and review it after 30 to 45 days. Set an inventory target based on normal seasonal supplies. Move barrels to the East Coast, where tanks are tightest. A Gulf Coast glut that never reaches New England is a press release, not a policy.<\/p>\n<p>Keep most exports flowing, especially to nearby customers. End the measure when inventories recover or global supplies normalize.<\/p>\n<p>That is not isolationism, and it is not a permanent ban. Refineries cannot make 10 percent more diesel; they are already near their limits. The lever that exists is the export stream.<\/p>\n<p>Diesel will not return to last year\u2019s prices on a quota. Repaired refineries and reopened shipping lanes will do that. But heading into winter with stocks unusually low, rebuilding our fuel cushion should come before sending every available barrel to the highest foreign bidder.<\/p>\n<p>Keep most of the exports flowing. But bank enough diesel for America first.<\/p>\n<p><i>Frank Lasee is a senior policy analyst for the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that champions free markets, property rights, and<\/i>\u00a0<i>innovation as the keys to protecting both people and the environment.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><em>The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter\u2019s byline and their DCNF affiliation. 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We are running out of cushion. U.S. refineries are producing more than 5 million barrels a day of distillate fuel, mostly diesel. Americans use roughly 3.6 to 3.8 million barrels a day. Recently, we have been exporting more than 1.3 million barrels a day, and in one week<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2690754,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/IMG_4253.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2690753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/IMG_4253.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2690753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2690753"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2690753\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2690754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2690753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2690753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2690753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}