We tired of winning yet? This latest Trump-manufactured Epstein Files distraction-of-the-month has taken me down a bit of a rabbit hole about America's oil supply chain. For example, I learned just how speculative the gas market is, because according to the internet:
* While 20% of the world's oil supply comes out from the Strait of Hormuz, only roughly 7% is actually destined for the US.
* It takes at least a month or more for a typical oil tanker, traveling at the speed of a bicycle, to reach the US shores from the Strait of Hormuz. In other words, even when the strait was first closed, it would still take a month for the last of the tankers that was let through to reach US shores.
* It takes roughly two to four weeks for the crude oil to be refined into gasoline, perhaps be tested, and then be distributed to gas stations all over the US.
* The US consumes roughly 8.8 million barrels of gasoline per day, up to 9.3 million barrels on busy summer seasons. However, the US currently produces roughly 9.4 million barrels of oil per day. So, there should be a surplus, even without the strait of Hormuz being in the equation.
* The US also currently has roughly 414,000 barrels of crude oil in its Strategic Petroleum Reserve. That's not a whole lot compared to daily consumption rates, but given current production levels, I guess we don't need a whole lot?
* On March 11 2026, Trump has approved a plan to add an additional 1.4 million barrels per day over the next 4 months to try to keep the gas prices low. So far, it hasn't been working, if only because the fundamental problem of the Strait of Hormuz remains closed.
* Gas prices tend to hit the blue states the hardest, such as California and the west coast, to New England, and least along the midwest, except for Florida. Because Florida I guess. Is there a conspiracy here? Probably not, I think, but it sure seems convenient for the GOP somehow. Here's a clear chart to look at: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-gas-prices-by-state-march-2026/
Conclusion: Even by this point of writing, IF the gas market was a rational one, then the price of gas should have remained unchanged. However, it is not, as once refined, it gets horse-traded by the various hubs and distributers until it reaches its final destination at your local gas station, and they are all reacting bearishly.
April 11th, 2026 at 05:04 pm 1775927064
April 11th, 2026 at 06:42 pm 1775932954
April 15th, 2026 at 09:39 pm 1776289199
April 16th, 2026 at 04:42 am 1776314561
And that it’s not even the least of our worries right now.
April 16th, 2026 at 03:59 pm 1776355155
So while I don't like paying more, there is a silver lining.