The Trump Administration is considering a ban on diesel fuel exports. Let's unpack the legal authorities Trump could use to implement one: 1. The International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). IEEPA, the 1977 emergency powers statute, would be the most straightforward legal authority for a diesel export ban. Trump would need to declare a new national emergency, potentially one related to global diesel markets, and could then issue an E.O. prohibiting diesel exports. (In some respects, this would be a mirror image of President Biden's use of IEEPA in 2022 to prohibit U.S. imports of Russian oil and refined products.) Trump could also authorize the Department of Energy to license diesel exports case by case to address unexpected adverse consequences. Existing IEEPA case law suggests courts would uphold such a ban. As an aside, about a decade ago I interviewed one of the congressional staffers involved in drafting IEEPA, as part of my research into U.S. sanctions. He noted that Congress passed IEEPA against the backdrop of the Arab oil embargo of 1973–1974, and that Congress had energy market disruptions as well as sanctions on its mind when it enacted the statute. 2. The Defense Production Act (DPA). The DPA authorizes the President to "allocate" materials important to U.S. defense and to require companies to give "priority" to some contracts over others. The government has twice in recent years used this authority to restrict exports: (a) in 2020, President Trump used the DPA to restrict exports of personal protective equipment (PPE) during COVID-19; and (b) in August 2026, the Commerce Department, pursuant to a presidential determination, used the DPA to restrict exports of tungsten and battery scrap to boost domestic supplies of critical materials. (In both instances, the government set up a process to allow case-by-case exceptions). The DPA's allocation authority is currently scheduled to expire on Dec. 11, with Congress considering a longer-term renewal but unlikely to act on one until after the midterms. (Of course, a ban that ran through Dec. 11 would cover the midterm elections, which appear to be the immediate focus.) 3. The Export Administration Act (EAA) formerly authorized export restrictions on goods determined to be in "short supply" in the U.S. economy. Congress, however, declined to renew expansive short-supply export provisions when it enacted the Export Control Reform Act in 2018, instead carrying forward only then-existing short-supply restrictions. Separately, a 2015 law lets the President restrict *crude oil* exports, but not refined product exports. (The U.S. had a statutory ban on exports of crude oil, but not refined products, between 1975 and 2015; the 2015 law that lifted it allows export restrictions in response to shortages or price hikes.) Note: None of this is an endorsement of a diesel export ban on the policy merits, just an explanation of the legal possibilities.