WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) today called for a temporary moratorium on the export of diesel products from the United States to help bring down prices for Alaskan and American consumers due to global supply disruptions. The senator proposes that the moratorium remain in place until the conflict in Iran comes to an end and energy exports are flowing unimpeded through the Strait of Hormuz.
“American workers are producing more diesel than they have in years, yet Alaskans are paying higher prices at the pump,” said Sen. Sullivan. “American fuel should stay home with Americans. The cost of diesel is just too damn high. I’m calling for a temporary pause of American diesel exports so that we can rebuild our reserves ahead of winter and put American and Alaskan families first. The best way to bring down energy prices for Alaskans is to produce more energy in Alaska, by Alaskans, for Alaskans.”
Sen. Sullivan has led efforts to provide relief for Alaskans from the recent period of higher energy prices. In May, at Sen. Sullivan’s urging, Secretary of the Interior and National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC) Chairman Doug Burgum announced a White House Alaska Energy Security Task Force to help address supply disruptions and energy costs in the state.
- On July 17, 2026, Sen. Sullivan and the NEDC Alaska Energy Task Force worked with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin to deliver an emergency fuel waiver under Section 211 of the Clean Air Act as a way to help relieve supply pressures in Alaska. The waiver temporarily relaxes federal diesel-fuel sulfur requirements for qualifying sales of Arctic-grade diesel above the Arctic Circle in compatible engines and equipment.
- On August 7, 2026, Sen. Sullivan and the NEDC Alaska Energy Task Force worked closely with the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to secure $10 million in federal funding to address high energy costs for Alaskans—in addition to the state’s existing Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) allocation of $12,158,876.
Throughout his tenure in the Senate, Sen. Sullivan has also consistently and successfully led efforts to increase domestic energy production, especially from Alaska, and push back against Democratic administrations and members of Congress attempting to lock up Alaska and shut down the American oil and gas sector.
- In the 2025 Working Families Tax Cuts Act, Sen. Sullivan secured provisions mandating at least four new area-wide lease sales in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) Coastal Plain over the next decade, directing the Secretary of the Interior to expeditiously resume at least five lease sales in the National Petroleum Reserve of Alaska (NPR-A), and mandating a minimum of six lease sales over 10 years in Cook Inlet.
- On December 5, 2025, the President signed a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution—led by Sens. Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Congressman Nick Begich (R-Alaska)—overturning the Biden administration’s restrictive 2022 Integrated Activity Plan (IAP) Record of Decision (ROD) for NPR-A.
- On December 11, 2025, the President signed a CRA resolution—led by Sens. Sullivan and Murkowski and Congressman Begich—overturning an unlawful and restrictive Record of Decision (ROD) for the ANWR Coastal Plain oil and gas program that the Biden administration imposed in December 2024.
Sen. Sullivan’s efforts have led to a resurgence of oil production on Alaska’s North Slope, including the most successfuloil and gas lease sale ever held in NPR-A.
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