Photograph Source: Bnuuy – CC0

US president Donald Trump caught America by surprise in late September while gabbing with reporters during a visit to the United Nations: “I’ve said let’s not send out the diesel,” he said. “We make a lot of diesel.”

The impulse is understandable. With prices topping $6 per gallon for a fuel widely used in long-haul trucking, rail transport, shipping by sea, and public transportation, everyone who buys anything is taking a new hit to the wallet. Trump would  like to see those prices come down before the November midterms.

Other writers have ably explained why an export ban wouldn’t lower prices at the pump, but here’s an AI-generated (Microsoft Copilot) summary for your convenience: “[E]xisting pipeline bottlenecks force regions such as New England and the West Coast to rely on waterborne imports; an export ban would trap Gulf Coast supplies in the region and compel........

© CounterPunch