By PNW Staff
September 18, 2026
There is no widespread fuel rationing in the United States today, and predictions that nationwide rationing is inevitable would go far beyond the evidence.
But Washington is already taking unusual steps to keep fuel moving.
The Transportation Department has temporarily relaxed hours-of-service restrictions for drivers transporting gasoline and diesel. The 90-day measure allows qualifying drivers to work longer daily windows as the government attempts to reduce fuel-delivery delays amid supply and price pressures.
Meanwhile, another vulnerability emerged this week when Exxon Mobil’s 275,000-barrel-per-day Joliet refinery in Illinois went offline following a power outage and flooding problems. The refinery normally supplies roughly 11 million gallons of gasoline and diesel per day to the Midwest.
That doesn’t mean America’s pumps are about to run dry.