What EIA Reported on September 4
EIA says gasoline crack spreads in New York Harbor have averaged about $1 per gallon higher than in 2025 since May. The agency attributes the elevated spreads primarily to tight global gasoline supply after refinery disruptions in Russia, China, and the Middle East. Higher crude oil prices, tighter product supply, and refining margins all contributed to pump-price pressure.
Since March, total U.S. gasoline imports, including finished gasoline and blending components, were 32% below the 2021-2025 average. EIA says limited Jones Act waiver shipments from the Gulf Coast partly offset that decline. For the week ending August 28, gasoline inventories were 6% below the five-year average and distillate inventories were 14% below average.
| Metric | EIA Source Fact | Buyer Read |
|---|---|---|
| Gasoline crack spread | About $1/gal higher than the 2025 average since May | Refining economics are contributing to pump-price pressure; the spread is not a facility fuel quote or hedge signal. |
| Gasoline imports | 32% below the 2021-2025 average since March | Import-reliant East and West Coast markets face tighter supply support than the national price alone shows. |
| Product inventories | Gasoline 6% below and distillate 14% below five-year averages | Diesel-heavy logistics and backup-generation exposure look tighter than gasoline inventory exposure. |
| U.S. regular gasoline | $4.07/gal on the Monday before Labor Day | Use the national average as a benchmark only; local grades, taxes, contracts, and delivery terms differ. |
| Regional regular gasoline | West Coast $5.21; Rockies $4.27; East $3.94; Midwest $3.85; Gulf $3.62 | Regional spread matters for distributed fleets and supplier freight assumptions, but it is not a site-specific invoice. |
Why This Matters For Commercial Buyers
The Monday before Labor Day, EIA reports U.S. regular gasoline averaged $4.07 per gallon. Regional averages ranged from $3.62 on the Gulf Coast to $5.21 on the West Coast. Fleet-heavy buyers should compare those regional benchmarks with card-lock, wholesale-rack, delivery, tax, grade, and contract terms rather than treating a national average as an executable price.
Distillate is the sharper operating signal for diesel-intensive logistics, construction, backup generation, aviation-linked budgets, and suppliers with fuel surcharges. EIA says distillate crack spreads have averaged 74 cents per gallon more than gasoline cracks since March, while distillate inventories sat further below average. That does not establish a customer invoice, but it justifies reviewing pass-through language and contingency fuel plans.
Logistics Exposure
Distillate stocks and product spreads are the cleaner watch items for diesel-heavy freight and distribution budgets than crude headlines alone.
Contract Pass-Through
Fuel-indexed surcharges, delivery adders, and backup-fuel plans should be reviewed separately from electricity commodity pricing.
What To Watch Next
- Diesel surcharge language in freight and supplier contracts.
- Backup-generation fuel plans for sites that rely on diesel or fuel oil.
- Jet-fuel-sensitive travel and distribution budgets.
- Product-specific exposure instead of broad crude-oil headline reactions.
What Not To Infer
- This is not a delivered electricity-rate forecast.
- This is not a Henry Hub natural gas forecast or a regional basis quote.
- This is not a supplier offer, hedge recommendation, or savings claim.
- This is not proof that the same retail or wholesale price applies to every region, grade, delivery point, or contract.
Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration Today in Energy, September 4, 2026; EIA Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update; EIA Weekly Petroleum Status Report; prior June 24 inventory benchmark. Retrieved September 5, 2026.