The diesel fuel shortage isn’t a secret anymore.
Here are the facts: U.S. Energy Information Administration recently announced in October we have less than 25 days of diesel fuel left. The last time our diesel stockpile was this low, there were 5 billion fewer people on the planet.
Just recently, the world crossed over the 8-billion-people mark. And guess what? Each one of those people keeps demanding more and more diesel fuel for machinery and heating!
But the clock is ticking. With far less fuel coming from overseas—and less being produced domestically—you can see the problem. It’s simple math. If we’re not replenishing fuel faster than we’re using it, we’re in trouble. That’s why the alarm bells went off when the experts announced we have less than 25 days of diesel fuel left in the national stockpile. Caught by surprise and feeling like it’s too late to solve the problem, people nationwide are starting to get worried—especially as we approach a record-cold winter forecast for the East Coast.
The problem is so severe and systemic, we may have to just suffer through it. Diesel fuel runs nearly everything. All heavy equipment, machinery, processing equipment, farm tractors, harvesters, etc.—and every commercial truck, with some exceptions—run on diesel. If there’s a shortage, many bad things will definitely happen. First, prices of everything go up, WAY up. And that’s just the beginning. Fuel shortages affect the food supply chain—from the farms to the stores to your table. Everything is on a “just-in-time” basis so it arrives fresh and ready-to-eat. But if nothing can move due to a lack of fuel, none of the food will ever get to you. It will actually rot on the farms and in the packing houses and the trucking docks. The grocery stores will be empty until new crops can be grown and shipped, if they can be grown at all.
From 25 Days to 25 Years
When they told us that America’s stockpile of diesel fuel had less than 25 DAYS left—the lowest it’s been in 70 years—everyone snapped to attention. We’re realizing how especially troubling this crisis is, considering all the global conflicts and supply-chain breakdowns that are still plaguing the economy.As the old song says, “Things ain’t what they used to be.” The news is bad and getting worse every day. We stay glued to our TV news, waiting for the next shoe to drop. We fear what may happen next—especially the “unthinkable” that they keep talking about. We know something’s gotta give—but what? Will it be the diesel fuel crisis? Will this be the straw that breaks the camel’s back? Could be!