Overview
- President Trump has publicly pushed for curbs on diesel exports to try to lower U.S. pump prices but the White House has since given assurances that a blanket ban will not be imposed.
- Energy and Treasury officials have argued against an outright ban because stopping shipments suddenly would fill Gulf Coast storage tanks and force refiners to cut production.
- Refiners and trade groups say cutting runs would reduce gasoline and jet fuel output as well as diesel and would harm U.S. producers who sell to foreign buyers.
- Allied politicians and foreign energy officials have lobbied for exemptions, noting the United States supplies a large share of other countries’ diesel needs and that restrictions would raise global prices.
- Policy options under discussion now include voluntary redirection of shipments, quotas or selective limits rather than a 90-day blanket ban and markets have lowered the odds of an imminent announcement.