Energy Secretary Wright presses refiners on voluntary diesel export limits
The outreach offers refiners a softer alternative to a threatened short-term ban on diesel exports.
Published
Energy Secretary Chris Wright has contacted executives at major U.S. refiners to gauge their willingness to voluntarily limit diesel exports, as the Trump administration looks for an alternative to an outright export ban.
The administration has been preparing a plan to ban diesel exports for 90 days. Wright has previously spoken against such a ban, and his outreach to refiners marks a shift toward seeking voluntary cooperation instead of imposing one.
A blanket ban would sit awkwardly next to the administration's broader push to expand U.S. oil production and strike energy deals abroad, including a potential stake in Venezuelan oil and a proposed $10 billion Gulf infrastructure fund.
The move to voluntary limits suggests the administration has concluded a blanket ban is not workable, even as it keeps pressure on refiners to restrain exports in ways that could support fuel prices and serve its wider geopolitical goals. For now the outcome rests on whether refiners agree to comply, leaving the market impact undetermined.