When there's no more diesel fuel, there's no more delivery of regular gasoline, food, or anything else that we need.
That is just exactly what the truckers have been trying to tell us. I think nothing will happen until after the election, because they are still trying to keep fuel prices down to try and fool people that nothing is wrong and the country is not on the verge of major shortages. But that is only next week. I am usually a very positive person, but I am concerned that the shortages they have been warning us about are happening very soon.
As of about a minute ago, we have a full tank of diesel/fuel oil mixture and, if we're careful, that should get us through the winter.
As I understand it, the over-the-road diesel requires low or ultra low sulfur fuel, while farm and heavy equipment fuel does not have to meet that standard. I think most farmers use the same diesel as the truckers, I don't believe they have to do so. I am not certain about the heating fuel, but the dye mentioned defines the over-the-road use to support highways and such (supposedly).
When I lived alone in north Idaho, and did not have electricity, I had a big Lister generator that used diesel fuel. I used the red diesel, which is for off-road use in farm equipment and machines like my generator. The generator was huge, and had originally been used in Alaska when they were building the pipeline and it had to run 24 hours a day. I started it in the morning for about an hour, which cooled the refrigerator, and heated the hot water tank. While it was on, I washed clothes in my little spinner wash machine, and cooked and any other things I needed electricity for. Then I turned it back off for the day, so the fuel lasted longer. It looked something like this one, but it seems like mine was orange.
My small 32 hp Kubota says to use ultra-low sulfur diesel. Per the manual: >DO NOT use diesel fuel with sulfur content greater than 1.0% >Since the engine adopts EPA Tier 4 and Interim Tier 4 standards, the use of low sulfur fuel or ultra low sulfur fuel is mandatory in EPA regulated areas (North America) I don't know if "adopting EPA standards" is voluntary or not in the ag equipment world. I guess the way this all affects this topic is if the regs cause a supply bottleneck at the refineries.
If you have to "regen", you probably have to use the low sulfur stuff. My little tractor is older, so it recommends but does not require the use of said fuels.
The diesel shortage is starting. I read this morning that some fuel stations in Pennsylvania and Ohio are out of diesel. They were reporting shortage last week, and now they are starting to feel it. One of the truckers posted yesterday a highway sign that said there was no diesel at the next exit because they were sold out.
Actually quite a terrifying state of affairs, especially with winter approaching. This could be a bonafide disaster.
I saw that the ATMs in some areas are not being serviced due to the expense of diesel and the machines are running out of money. I am sure they are still getting serviced somewhat, just not as frequently. I had never occurred to me that even the armored trucks that service ATMs run on diesel. If Israel attacks Iran, we are in for BIG trouble since Biden shut down necessary oil and gas transport pipelines in his first days in office. Oil from most of the Middle East will dry up, but China will be getting plenty from Russia.
Now the Administration has agreed to sell another many million barrels of oil to China from the Strategic Oil Reserves. I guess this is to repay some of his debts to them. They are not saying it is going to China, but petroleum insiders say that is where it is headed. Granholm says she has plans to refill the reserve someday, but I am sure it will be when the prices are higher and the 2024 election is in the rearview mirror. Disgusting. Of course she has also demanded that the U.S. military be all-electric by 2030--<7 years away. I wonder how many solar panels from China and how many batteries form China will be needed for each electric tank?
So…..when I was in choppers, all it took was the loss of one single cell in a 28vt nicad battery and my Delta wouldn’t start on its own. That said, take an electric TANK and put it on the field in a combat situation and suddenly, a couple of battery cells go out…….. Plus, even though yes, there are some electric 18 wheelers on the road but they do not have to maneuver nor pull the amount of torque that is needed for military heavy equipment. AND…..I’d just love to see an all electric CH-34 or an Airforce C-141. How about, before people like Granholm make stupid decisions, they get told that they will have to ride in the equipment and in a combat situation before it is given the full go ahead. In the food business, it is a common axiom that says that if you’re not willing to eat it, don’t serve it so it seems to me that if you’re not willing to go to combat in it, don’t suggest it.
Very often, the more ridiculous mandates are scheduled to take effect at some point after the people who put them into place are gone, saddling someone else with the choice of enacting or canceling them. If they enact them, then they have to deal with the problems it causes, and if they cancel it, that's proof that they're racist, or they hate the earth, or some other nonsense.
Michigan has inked a deal (at the cost of $175 Million) to build a Chinese EV battery plant there. Link