WELL, GOOD: EPA Extends Emergency Diesel Waiver For Texas As Fuel Supply Crisis Drags On.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) extended Texas’ emergency diesel waiver Tuesday, allowing certain older vehicles and equipment to use higher-sulfur fuel through Nov. 13. The 20-day extension follows an initial waiver granted October 5 at Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s request.

“EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is doing what he can to provide relief to American consumers, but emergency waivers cannot replace the refining capacity we’ve lost after decades of politicians pursuing so-called climate agendas,” Jason Isaac, CEO of the American Energy Institute told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “California has driven refineries out of business, while European countries pursuing Net Zero policies have watched their refining capacity decline.”

National distillate inventories were 11% below their five-year average as of Oct. 9, while refineries were operating at 93.5% capacity, according to the EPA’s Oct. 20 letter.

“It is EPA’s intention to issue new waivers effectively extending (renewing) these waivers until such time as the extreme and unusual fuel supply circumstances described in this action are no longer present,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin wrote.

The crisis looks like it’ll last a good, long while — maybe even time enough to get serious about increasing refining capacity.