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"Brace For Energy Supply Shortages
That Will Freak Americans Out"
by Epic Economist
"We’re about to experience the worst energy supply shortage this country has ever had in modern times. We’re already feeling the pain of sky-high prices for energy. But on top of everything else that is going wrong in this country, the US aging power grid cannot keep up with demand anymore, and extensive power outages are expected to occur as we head into the summer. Even worse, reserves of other energy supplies, including diesel, jet fuel, gasoline, and heating oil are already hitting the lowest levels on record, and a widespread shortage of such fuels is threatening to bring the U.S. economy to a halt. These are serious issues that are reaching crisis levels and that are going to impact our collapsing domestic supply chains as soon as next month. We must expose what is truly going on right now before it’s too late.
“We are looking at a nightmare in terms of global diesel shortage that will shock people starting June,” one industry insider warned on Sunday when diesel inventories on the east coast were at 18 million barrels, which represented about 3 days of demand. However, on that very day, diesel supplies ran down to less than 10 million barrels, and they continue to decline further and further with each passing day, leaving the US in a very risky position.
Without diesel and other middle-distillate fuels, our trains and trucks can’t run, and the lack of transportation services can push domestic supply chains over the edge in a matter of days but cause damages that can last for months or even years. Even a moderate shortage of fuels would be paralyzing for the U.S. economy. Already, soaring prices for fuels have been contributing to inflationary headwinds due to their vital role in the American and global economy. At this point, retail prices for gasoline in the U.S. are up 45% compared to a year ago, while diesel used by American truckers skyrocketed 75% over the past 12 months, and just hit another all-time high a few days ago.
The fuel is not only essential for tankers, trains, and trucks, but also for many industries, such as farming, manufacturing, metals, and mining. In essence, “diesel is the fuel that powers the economy,” as explained by Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. Higher prices for fuels are “certainly going to translate into more expensive goods,” he said, given that these increased costs will surely be passed along to consumers. “Especially at the grocery store, the hardware store, anywhere you shop,” he added.
At the same time, electricity shortage warnings are spreading across the country. The Midcontinent Independent System Operator, or MISO, which operates in 15 states across the US Central region, is alerting that capacity shortages due to soaring summer demand might result in outages. Power grids have started to retire conventional power plants fueled by natural gas, coal, diesel, and nuclear power to green forms of energy, such as solar power and wind. But that transition is happening without the establishment of a stable green energy system, so things are not working as well as planned. When we take a moment to think about it, why are we racing to retire conventional power facilities in the midst of a growing global energy crisis? It doesn’t make any sense.
The convergence of all of these factors means that there is not going to be enough energy supplies for exports, nor to power up our industries and meet consumer demand. This is going to affect each and every one of us, but unfortunately, the vast majority of the population still does not understand what is happening, and so they aren’t taking any steps to get prepared for the horror that is coming."
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