Refinery closures and rising consumption will reduce U.S. petroleum inventories in 2026
In 2026, we forecast that inventories of the three largest transportation fuels in the United States—motor gasoline, distillate fuel oil, and jet fuel—will fall to their lowest levels since 2000 in our February Short-Term Energy Outlook.
Rising Seas and Stronger Storms Threaten Barrier Island Systems
As sea levels rise and storms intensify, these narrow stretches of sand and vegetation that buffer coastlines will be exposed to more frequent and severe flooding, erosion, and water table changes. The study’s findings , focusing on Cape Lookout, project that with a sea-level rise (SLR) of just 0.5 meters, nearly half of the current land area of the islands will flood daily, with the impact worsening during storms. Even a moderate one-year storm could flood up to 74% of the barrier island area, while more powerful storms with a 20-year return interval could submerge more than 85% of the