As of mid-October 2026, U.S. drilling activity continues to firm. Baker Hughes reported its closely watched weekly rotary rig count at 603 for the week ending October 9 (up 5 week-over-week and up 56 year-over-year from 547). WellDatabase’s U.S. Rig Report dated 10.14.2026 showed 608 total rigs (up 6 week-over-week and up 52 year-over-year). Enverus’ […]
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ENB Pub Note: This article first ran on the Crude Truth Substack, and we recommend subscribing. The Crude Truth about Diesel and President Trump’s Executive Order. President Trump signed an executive order on October 5, 2026, temporarily allowing off-road “dyed” diesel for highway use and deferring the federal excise tax through year-end. The move targets […]
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A diesel export ban is the kind of policy that polls well and trades poorly. With the AAA national average at about $6.53 a gallon as of September 22, 2026 — a record — and California well above $8, the political impulse is obvious: keep more barrels at home. That impulse misunderstands how U.S. refining […]
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The United States is not short of crude oil. It is short of spare refining capacity, spare distillate inventory, and spare time. Diesel is the pressure point. National retail diesel is printing all-time highs near $6.40 a gallon. California is above $8.30. Midwest pump prices are breaking state records after ExxonMobil’s Joliet refinery in Illinois […]
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Bernadette Wilson, Alaska Republican for Governor, stops by the Energy News Beat Podcast. Alaska is not a remote afterthought. It is one of the United States’ most strategically important resource bases for energy security, defense-critical minerals, and food supply. For two decades, its oil output declined as legacy North Slope fields matured and new projects […]
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The latest WellDatabase US Rig Report for June 26, 2026, shows the U.S. active rig count rising by 1 rig week-over-week to 550. This modest increase bucks a broader pattern of stability over the past year and comes against a backdrop of sharply tightening crude oil inventories—especially at the critical Cushing, Oklahoma hub—and continued draws […]
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In a major boost for America’s energy security and domestic coal industry, President Donald J. Trump today invoked the Defense Production Act (DPA) to direct nearly $700 million in federal support for coal-fired power plants, new construction, restarts, and critical export infrastructure. The announcement, made during an Oval Office event focused on “Beautiful, Clean Coal,” […]
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Alaska is experiencing a genuine renaissance in its oil and gas sector. After decades of declining production that saw output fall from a peak of nearly 2 million barrels per day two decades ago to below 600,000 barrels per day in recent years, the state is poised for a significant rebound. Record-breaking lease sales, major […]
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Even the most optimistic reopening of the Strait of Hormuz won’t deliver a quick fix. Physical barrels tell a far harsher story than paper futures. Art Berman (@aeberman12) nailed it in his May 25, 2026, post: There is no clean, modelable “successful reopening” of the Strait of Hormuz. Even in the wildly optimistic scenario, the […]
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In a major breakthrough for Alaska’s long-awaited natural gas infrastructure, Glenfarne Alaska LNG announced on May 18, 2026, a 30-year gas sales precedent agreement with ConocoPhillips Alaska. The deal supplies natural gas from Alaska’s North Slope for Phase One of the Alaska LNG project. Combined with existing agreements from ExxonMobil, Hilcorp Alaska, and Great Bear […]
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