Gov. Greg Abbott declares statewide emergency over soaring diesel prices in Texas

By
FOX Local
Published September 28, 2026 12:05 PM CDT

Photographer: Clayton Steward/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Brief

    • Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statewide disaster proclamation across all 254 Texas counties in response to record diesel prices and fuel shortages.
    • The emergency order temporarily suspends state off-road diesel restrictions, increases vehicle weight limits, and waives low-emission fuel rules.
    • Abbott requested a federal EPA waiver to boost fuel supplies, as global export bans and shipping conflicts push diesel inventories to historical lows.

Governor Greg Abbott issued a statewide disaster proclamation for all 254 Texas counties on Monday, responding to soaring diesel prices and an escalating fuel shortage driven by global oil market disruptions.

Diesel in Texas

What we know:

With retail diesel prices in Texas hitting a record high of $5.97 a gallon in September 2026, the Governor's emergency declaration aims to provide immediate relief for the state's agricultural, ranching, and freight industries.

"Texas agriculture and freight run on diesel," Abbott said in a statement. "Record prices put both industries at risk and raise costs for every Texas family."

Under the disaster proclamation, the state is taking several immediate steps:

  • Dyed-Diesel Restrictions Lifted: State rules barring the use of untaxed, red-marked off-road dyed diesel on public highways have been temporarily suspended, allowing operators to use the fuel on Texas roads without penalty. The underlying fuel tax is not waived.
  • Weight Limits Increased: State oversize and overweight permitting requirements are suspended for vehicles transporting fuel, agricultural, or timber products, allowing gross weights of up to 95,000 pounds (subject to bridge weight limits).
  • Low-Emission Rules Suspended: Texas Low Emission Diesel (TxLED) regulations are suspended to the extent authorized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Additionally, Abbott formally requested that EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin grant a temporary Clean Air Act waiver of federal ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) requirements and TxLED rules across 110 Texas counties to increase available fuel supplies at pump stations.

The administration's actions come as global refining outputs face pressure following Russia's ban on diesel exports in July 2026 and ongoing maritime shipping conflicts in the Middle East, which have driven U.S. distillate fuel inventories to their lowest seasonal levels since tracking began in 1982.

The Source: Information in this article is from Governor Greg Abbott's disaster declaration and his letter to the EPA administrator.

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