2026 U.S. midterm elections

Is the world pricing the risk of a US diesel export ban?

<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/766296/original/file-20261014-50-6882u.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.1&rect=0%2C1%2C8640%2C5759&q=45&auto=format&w=1050&h=700&fit=crop" /><figcaption><span class="caption">One driver of higher U.S. diesel prices is a major drop in supply from Russia and the Middle East.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/Gasoline%20Prices%20Colorado/56519097b55a490a814a1e9d2aa2df67/photo">AP Photo/David Zalubowski)</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/energy-prices-midterm-voters-e360a372">spike in diesel prices</a> is hammering broad sectors of the U.S. economy – especially agriculture and shipping – and becoming a flash point ahead of the November 2026 <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-09-23/diesel-price-spike-hits-farms-food-prices-battleground-states">midterm elections</a>. </p> <p>This squeeze has prompted Re