The White House scrambles to pull every conceivable policy lever to loosen fuel markets ahead of midterms.

U.S. wholesale diesel prices are near all-time highs at more than $200 per barrel, while American voters face average retail diesel pump prices above $6 per gallon.

Rory Johnston is a contributor to Dispatch Energy and Toronto-based oil market researcher. He is the founder of Commodity Context, a lecturer at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, host of the Oil Ground Up podcast, and a fellow with both the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines.

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","freeContentEncoded","textContent","published","strategy","curl-ready","locked","deletedAt","isSyncedFromOwnBlog","original","duplicatesCount",0,"duplicateVersion","originalArticleId","errorsCount","appearance","color","backgroundColor","shortSummary","The White House is using every policy tool to address soaring diesel prices ahead of the midterms, with wholesale prices near record highs and retail prices above $6 per gallon.","summary","The White House is actively employing various policy measures to alleviate pressure on fuel markets, particularly concerning diesel prices, as the midterm elections approach. Wholesale diesel prices have reached near all-time highs, exceeding $200 per barrel, while the average retail price at the pump has surpassed $6 per gallon for American consumers. The article also mentions Rory Johnston, an oil market researcher and contributor to Dispatch Energy.","bullets",[364,365,366,367],"persons",[363],"places",[360,361,362],"words",118,"sentiment",-0.5,"subject","economy","meta",{"_322":323,"_324":325,"_326":327},"eventId","cf6e179a6270f34c66a533fa2cbf21099a0ca91b97040654ccb7fa66d23928db","nostrRootEvent","event",{"_24":258,"_287":310,"_136":94,"_184":311,"_291":292,"_218":312,"_294":313},"authorNPub","markdown","The White House scrambles to pull every conceivable policy lever to loosen fuel markets ahead of midterms.\n\nU.S. wholesale diesel prices are near all-time highs at more than $200 per barrel, while American voters face average retail diesel pump prices above $6 per gallon.\n\nRory Johnston is a contributor to Dispatch Energy and Toronto-based oil market researcher. He is the founder of Commodity Context, a lecturer at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, host of the Oil Ground Up podcast, and a fellow with both the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines.\n\n### More From Dispatch Energy\n\n![](https://i0.wp.com/thedispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/GettyImages-2297029933.jpg?w=600&strip=all&ssl=1)[Dispatch Energy](https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/dispatch-energy/extreme-weather-events-tracking-climate/)\n\n### [Extreme Weather Shouldn’t Be a Political Football](https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/dispatch-energy/extreme-weather-events-tracking-climate/)\n\n[Roger Pielke Jr.](https://thedispatch.com/author/roger-pielke-jr/) / October 6, 2026\n\n![](https://i0.wp.com/thedispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2261037765.jpg?w=600&strip=all&ssl=1)Unlocked[Dispatch Energy](https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/dispatch-energy/)\n\n### [Why Federal Regulations Fail to Cut Emissions](https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/dispatch-energy/epa-endangerment-emissions-regulations-greenhouse/)\n\n[Alex Trembath](https://thedispatch.com/author/alex-trembath/) / September 24, 2026\n\n![](https://i0.wp.com/thedispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2208758554.jpg?w=600&strip=all&ssl=1)Unlocked[Dispatch Energy](https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/dispatch-energy/)\n\n### [What America Can Learn From Australia’s Grid](https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/dispatch-energy/australia-electrical-system-grid-solar/)\n\n[Lynne Kiesling](https://thedispatch.com/author/lynne-kiesling/) / September 8, 2026\n\n![](https://i0.wp.com/thedispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2253866793.jpg?w=600&strip=all&ssl=1)Unlocked[Dispatch Energy](https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/dispatch-energy/)\n\n### [Why Sweeping Regulations Won’t End Air Pollution](https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/dispatch-energy/air-pollution-regulations-environment-emissions/)\n\n[Philip Rossetti](https://thedispatch.com/author/philip-rossetti/) / August 25, 2026","freeMarkdown","kind1EventId","kind30023EventId","ced0f4bf696a8e23a7b33ee3c323f664968a0e8d772ecfd156f2184334a1bdff","kind30023",{"_24":268,"_287":288,"_136":289,"_184":290,"_291":292,"_218":293,"_294":295},"publishedToNostr","htmlContentKind30023","

The White House scrambles to pull every conceivable policy lever to loosen fuel markets ahead of midterms.

U.S. wholesale diesel prices are near all-time highs at more than $200 per barrel, while American voters face average retail diesel pump prices above $6 per gallon.

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What America Can Learn From Australia’s Grid

Lynne Kiesling / September 8, 2026

$\"\"$ UnlockedDispatch Energy

Why Sweeping Regulations Won’t End Air Pollution

Philip Rossetti / August 25, 2026

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The article also mentions Rory Johnston, an oil market researcher and contributor to Dispatch Energy.\n - The White House is using policy levers to ease fuel markets before the midterms.\n - U.S. wholesale diesel prices are near all-time highs, over $200 per barrel.\n - Average retail diesel prices are above $6 per gallon.\n - Rory Johnston is identified as an oil market researcher and contributor.\n","created_at",1792527001,[308,309],[37,204],[306,307],[41,211],[305,199],[241,205],[304,36],[140,292,36],"client","d","published_at","1792527001","r","https://us.nos.news/articles/140da85e-c85e-4333-ac68-382abbeb9f66","a78cfd9a9e3e5f1dcba3b2a522f61e0fb65f220f56f436bfd89ecacdc20581b5acf56439350cc2ca68cd9c64688141ed6df707a26f9c098d3615b52e7ad2b090",[314,315,316,317,318],"Donald Trump’s Diesel Desperation\nTurn any article into a podcast. 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