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By Bob Carey
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Washington should immediately restrict the movement of diesel and other refined-fuel exports, then phase in a lasting ban while building the domestic storage, transportation, and maritime infrastructure America needs to keep its energy advantage at home.
Every American who buys groceries, ships goods, heats a home, or runs a business has a stake in this fight.
American farmers, truckers, builders, and maritime operators need dependable fuel at prices that let them compete. The United States was the world’s largest crude oil producer in 2025, as noted by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), yet we export fuel while importing oil to meet domestic demand. It currently lies third in total exports, at just over 4 million barrels a day, behind Saudi Arabia and Russia.
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Our production and refining capacity should protect American businesses from foreign supply shocks. Instead, domestic businesses compete with overseas buyers for American fuel. Washington effectively tells them that international markets come first.
That’s un-American.
Not Good For The US Economy
Don’t blame refineries and oil companies. They are doing what the market rewards: selling where they can earn the most. But maximizing export revenues is not the same as strengthening the American economy. Washington has confused the two, ignoring the costs paid by workers, businesses, and consumers.
The EIA reported that in 2025, the United States exported an average of four million barrels of crude oil and 2.4 million barrels of refined products daily. Meanwhile, Americans consumed about 20.6 million barrels of petroleum per day, while domestic production averaged approximately 13.6 million barrels daily.
Let those numbers sink in. America exports millions of barrels daily while importing oil to cover the gap between production and consumption. Keeping more domestic supply here could reduce dependence on foreign oil, including supplies from unstable regions such as the Persian Gulf.
That means less exposure to geopolitical crises, fewer risks to supply chains, and greater control over our economic future.
Who Pays The Price, Ultimately
Consider who pays for the current approach: the South Dakota farmer spending more to harvest a crop, the Louisiana trucker struggling to recover higher fuel costs, and the New York harbor towboat operator charging more to move barges up the Hudson. Consumers ultimately pay, too, through higher food prices, freight charges, and household bills.
You do not need to own a diesel truck to feel the consequences.
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Meanwhile, domestic fuel inventories are under pressure. The EIA notes that the East Coast refined-fuel inventories have fallen below their five-year average, and winter heating-oil costs threaten to climb. Yet export terminals continue loading American-produced fuel for foreign customers.
This makes no sense. An energy policy that leaves Americans exposed to shortages and price spikes while domestic fuel heads overseas is failing the people it is supposed to serve.
Exports Must Be Restricted. Or Even Banned
President Donald Trump should use the authorities available under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) to impose an immediate, temporary ban on refined-fuel exports. He should also use applicable legal authorities to restrict crude-oil exports while the administration develops a durable domestic energy-security strategy.
Any restrictions must be carefully designed to withstand legal scrutiny and protect essential supply relationships.
Congress must then reform permitting rules so producers, refiners, and domestic buyers can expand American refining, storage, and delivery capacity.
The proposed Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 offers an opportunity to accelerate infrastructure approvals and address a permitting process that can take substantially longer in the United States than in competing economies.
Bottlenecks And Infrastructure
But keeping fuel here is only half the job. Gulf Coast supplies do little for a New England heating-oil customer if transportation bottlenecks prevent delivery.
America needs investment in terminals, storage facilities, ports, and domestic shipping routes. Tugboat and towboat operators must help shape those investments because they know where congestion, capacity gaps, and delivery costs undermine the system.
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The choice is clear. Act now, and America can build a stronger domestic energy network, reduce exposure to foreign disruptions, help businesses compete, and ease pressure on household budgets. Do nothing, and Americans will remain vulnerable to overseas demand, geopolitical shocks, fuel shortages, and higher prices for necessities.
The President should act. Congress should reform permitting and fund critical infrastructure. And Americans should demand an energy policy that puts domestic economic security first. We spent decades building the means to sell American fuel overseas. It is time to show the same determination in delivering it to Americans.
Bob Carey is a retired U.S. Navy officer, Senate staffer, and Department of Energy official with more than three decades of experience across government, national security, and corporate strategy. The views expressed are the author's own.
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