Sources and credits

Why the Middle East Still Sets Your Gas Price

America pumps more oil than any country ever has and sells more petroleum abroad than it buys, so why did a war in the Middle East add a dollar and a half to a gallon of gas here? This page lists every source behind the video's claims and credits every piece of footage, image, sound and music in it.

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Figures are dated in the video and below. Snapshot numbers were current when the video was locked in October 2026 and will move.

Chapters

0:00Eleven weeks: a war and the price of gas
1:311973 and the promise of energy independence
3:08One world price for oil
4:48The swing barrel: why America can't set the price
6:36Two price wars: 2014 and 2020
8:22The 2026 discount on American oil
10:53The rest of the war
12:30What insulation costs
14:44What would actually help

Sources (77)

Grouped by the part of the story they support. Where a figure is one person's account, an estimate or one institution's data, the video says whose it is.

Eleven weeks: a war and the price of gas

EIA World Oil Transit ChokepointsAs of 1H2025; page updated 2026-03-03 · eia.gov
U.S. Department of Defense, Operation Epic Fury fact sheet (the first 29 days); EIA, Today in Energy 67424; IEA, Oil Market Report, 12 March 2026As of 2026-02-28 to 03-12 · media.defense.gov · eia.gov

1973 and the promise of energy independence

EIA, U.S. Field Production of Crude Oil, series MCRFPUS2As of CY2025, released 2026-08-31 · eia.gov
EIA, Today in Energy 67844 (the United States as the world's largest crude producer); EIA, U.S. Field Production of Crude Oil (MCRFPUS2)As of CY2025; article 2026-07-09 · eia.gov
EIA, Oil imports and exports explained; EIA, U.S. Net Imports of Total Crude Oil and Products (MTTNTUS2)As of CY2025 · eia.gov · eia.gov
EIA, U.S. Imports of Crude Oil (MCRIMUS2) and U.S. Exports of Crude Oil (MCREXUS2)As of CY2025 · eia.gov
EIA, U.S. Imports from Persian Gulf Countries of Crude Oil (MCRIMUSPG2), from Saudi Arabia (MCRIMUSSA2) and from Canada (MCRIMUSCA2)As of CY2025 vs CY2001 · eia.gov
U.S. Government Publishing Office: Energy Policy and Conservation Act, Pub. L. 94-163 (1975); Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, Pub. L. 114-113As of statutes · govinfo.gov · govinfo.gov
U.S. Department of State, Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969 to 1976, vol. XXXVI, documents 223, 224 and 339; IMF Staff Papers (1974); Gerald R. Ford Library, Zarb Papers, posted price tableAs of 1973 to 74 · history.state.gov · fordlibrarymuseum.gov
EIA, U.S. Field Production of Crude Oil (MCRFPUS2); CIA, Handbook of Economic Statistics 1974, table 79As of CY1973 · cia.gov
Richard Nixon, Address to the Nation About Policies To Deal With the Energy Shortages, November 7, 1973 (American Presidency Project, UC Santa Barbara)As of 1973-11-07 · presidency.ucsb.edu
Presidential remarks, via the American Presidency Project and the presidential archives: Carter, July 15, 1979; George W. Bush, State of the Union, January 20, 2004; Obama, March 30, 2011; Trump, June 29, 2017; Biden, March 31, 2022As of 1979 to 2022 · presidency.ucsb.edu · presidency.ucsb.edu · obamawhitehouse.archives.gov · govinfo.gov · govinfo.gov
U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Field Production of Crude Oil (MCRFPUS2), monthlyeia.gov
U.S. Energy Information Administration, Monthly Energy Review, Table 3.1 Petroleum Overview: petroleum net imports (PANIPUS), annual 1949 oneia.gov
U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Imports from Canada of Crude Oil (MCRIMUSCA2), annualeia.gov
U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Imports from Mexico of Crude Oil (MCRIMUSMX2), annualeia.gov
U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Imports from Saudi Arabia of Crude Oil (MCRIMUSSA2), annualeia.gov

One world price for oil

EIA, Today in Energy 4550As of 2011-12-28 · eia.gov
EIA, Today in Energy 18651 (gasoline prices tend to follow Brent rather than WTI)As of 2014-11-03 · eia.gov
EIA spot prices via FRED: WTI (DCOILWTICO) and Brent (DCOILBRENTEU), daily, pulled 2026-09-25; the gaps computed by Solar NewtAs of CY · fred.stlouisfed.org · fred.stlouisfed.org
EIA Gasoline and Diesel Fuel UpdateAs of May 2026 (page 2026-09-22) · eia.gov
EIA, Gasoline pump price components historyAs of monthly · eia.gov
EIA, What drives crude oil prices?As of accessed 2026-09-25 · eia.gov
Norwegian Ministry of Finance, Prop. 95 LS (2025 to 2026), chapter 9; Statistics Norway, table 09654; FRED, Norwegian kroner to U.S. dollar (DEXNOUS)As of Prop. 95 LS (2025 to 2026) ch. 9 · SSB table 09654 · FRED DEXNOUS 2026-09-18 · regjeringen.no · ssb.no
Statistics Canada, table 18-10-0001-01; UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, weekly road fuel prices; Aramco retail fuel prices; exchange rates from FREDAs of Aug 2026 · week of 2026-09-21 · Sept 2026 · www150.statcan.gc.ca · aramco.com
AAA newsroom, national average hits $5 (June 2022); EIA, U.S. regular gasoline price (GASREGW)As of 2022-06-13/14 · newsroom.aaa.com

The swing barrel: why America can't set the price

U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Economic Census, establishments by firm size (NAICS 211120); EIA, Today in Energy 68184 (public companies produce most U.S. crude oil)As of 2022 Economic Census (released 2025-04-24) · EIA TIE 68184 (2026-09-22) · data.census.gov · eia.gov
EIA, Short-Term Energy Outlook, September 2026 (world consumption); EIA, U.S. Product Supplied of Crude Oil and Petroleum Products (MTTUPUS2)As of CY2025 · eia.gov
EIA, Short-Term Energy Outlook, September 2026: OPEC surplus crude oil production capacity (COPS_OPEC)As of STEO 2026-09-09 · api.eia.gov
EIA, Today in Energy 67804As of CY2025; article 2026-06-23 · eia.gov
Saudi Aramco, Annual Report 2025; Saudi Aramco IPO prospectus (2019)As of 2025 · aramco.com
IMF Regional Economic Outlook MCD, Statistical AppendixAs of IMF May 2025 vintage, Table 6 · imf.org
Dallas Federal Reserve Energy Survey Q1 2026As of collected 2026-03-11 to 19 · dallasfed.org
EIA, STEO Between the Lines, November 16, 2023; Lutz Kilian, Dallas Fed working paper 2027 (August 2020)As of 2023-11-16 · Kilian, Dallas Fed WP 2027, Aug 2020 · eia.gov · dallasfed.org
OPEC Annual Statistical Bulletin 2026, Tables 3.1 and 3.5As of ASB 2026 (2026-04-29) · publications.opec.org

Two price wars: 2014 and 2020

EIA, Today in Energy 43875 (WTI below zero, April 20, 2020)As of 2020-04-20 · eia.gov
Dallas Federal Reserve Energy Survey Q1 2022As of collected 2022-03-09 to 17 · dallasfed.org
Baker Hughes rig countAs of annual avg · 2026-09-18 · bakerhughesrigcount.gcs-web.com
Baker Hughes North America weekly rig count workbook (U.S. oil rigs)As of weekly · bakerhughesrigcount.gcs-web.com
OPEC, press release, 166th Meeting of the OPEC Conference (November 27, 2014); EIA spot prices via FRED; Haynes Boone Oilfield Services Bankruptcy Tracker; Baker Hughes rig count via EIAAs of 2014 to 16 · opec.org
IMF Regional Economic Outlook (chronology); Saudi Aramco, full-year 2020 results; OPEC, 10th (Extraordinary) OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting (April 12, 2020)As of 2020 · aramco.com · opec.org
U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Crude Oil and Natural Gas Rotary Rigs in Operation (E_ERTRR0_XR0_NUS_C), annual; Baker Hughes count as republished by EIAeia.gov

The 2026 discount on American oil

EIA, U.S. crude oil imports by API gravity; EIA, Refinery Capacity Report 2026, table 8; EIA, Today in Energy 60622As of CY2025 (table released 2026-09-01); 2026-01-01 · eia.gov · eia.gov · eia.gov
EIA, Short-Term Energy Outlook, April 2026; EIA, Today in Energy 67424; the Brent-WTI gap computed from FREDAs of 2026 · eia.gov
Reuters via BOE Report (March 18, 2026); East Daley Analytics, Daley Note on Gulf Coast crude spreads; S&P Global Commodity Insights, CERAWeek: US crude export system nears capacity as Asia demand surges (March 24, 2026)As of 2026-03-18 · 2026-04-15 · boereport.com · eastdaley.com
EIA, Today in Energy 67825As of April 2026; TIE 2026-07-08 · eia.gov
EIA, U.S. regular gasoline price (GASREGW) via FRED; EIA, Today in Energy 67424As of weekly · fred.stlouisfed.org · eia.gov
AAA, national average gas price (September 24, 2026)As of 2026-09-24 · gasprices.aaa.com
International Energy Agency, Oil Market Report, April 2026 (Argus price assessments)iea.org

The rest of the war

EIA, World Oil Transit Chokepoints; IEA, Oil Market Report, 12 March 2026 and 14 April 2026; Congressional Research Service, R45281 (updated August 7, 2026)As of 2026-03 · 2026-04-14 · 2026-08-07 · iea.blob.core.windows.net
IEA, Oil Market Report, March 2026; EIA, Short-Term Energy Outlook, September 2026, table 1; World Bank, Commodity Markets Outlook press release (April 28, 2026)As of 2026-03 to 08 · eia.gov · worldbank.org
Congressional Research Service, R45281 (updated August 7, 2026); IEA, Oil Market Report, April 2026; EIA, Today in Energy 67865; EIA spot prices via FREDAs of 2026-04 to 08 · crsreports.congress.gov · eia.gov
EIA, Short-Term Energy Outlook, September 2026; CNN, Al Jazeera and NBC on the East-West pipeline strike (September 11, 2026)As of 2026-08 to 09 · eia.gov · cnn.com
Kpler via CNBC (September 30, 2026) and Foreign Policy (October 1, 2026); Reuters (September 27 and 28); UKMTO via Seatrade Maritime and Riviera; Al Jazeera and The National (October 4)As of 2026-09-28 to 10-04 · foreignpolicy.com · energynews.today · seatrade-maritime.com · aljazeera.com
AAA, national average and record price; CNN (September 11, 2026)As of 2026-09-22 · gasprices.aaa.com
IEA Oil Market Report, October 2026 (public highlights and commentary)As of Sept 2026 to report writing (published 2026-10-14) · iea.org
EIA spot prices, New York Harbor and U.S. Gulf Coast diesel (released October 7, 2026); EIA, U.S. regular gasoline price (GASREGW)As of 2026-10-01 to 10-12 · eia.gov
EIA, Today in Energy 68245 (October 5, 2026); IEA, Oil Market Report, October 2026As of 3Q26 · 2026-09-25 · Sept 2026 · eia.gov

What insulation costs

Norwegian Ministry of Finance, Prop. 95 LS (2025 to 2026), chapter 9.1As of 2026-03 to 08 · regjeringen.no
Executive Order 12287 and President Reagan's signing statement (January 28, 1981), Reagan Library; U.S. General Accounting Office, EMD-80-70As of 1971 to 1981 · reaganlibrary.gov · gao.gov
White House remarks on the Strategic Petroleum Reserve release (March 31, 2022); EIA, weekly U.S. crude oil in the SPR (WCSSTUS1)As of weekly WCSSTUS1 · eia.gov
IMF Working Paper 25/270, Annex III; Malaysia Ministry of Finance, media release on BUDI95As of 2024 · 2026 · imf.org · mof.gov.my
American Petroleum Institute, statement on a potential U.S. diesel export ban (September 22, 2026); S&P Global Commodity Insights (September 22, 2026); PoliticoAs of 2026-09-22 to 09-28 · api.org · spglobal.com
EIA, weekly U.S. exports of distillate fuel oil (WDIEXUS2)As of 2026-08-07 · eia.gov
U.S. Treasury, OFAC General License No. 135 (October 9, 2026); Executive Order 14066, 87 FR 13625 (March 8, 2022)As of 2026-10-09 · 2022-03-08 · ofac.treasury.gov · govinfo.gov
Interfax (September 30 and October 10, 2026); Kommersant (October 10); Anadolu Agency (September 30)As of 2026-09-30 · 2026-10-10 · m.interfax.ru · kommersant.ru
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System via FRED, Canadian Dollars to U.S. Dollar Spot Exchange Rate (DEXCAUS)fred.stlouisfed.org
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System via FRED, Norwegian Kroner to U.S. Dollar Spot Exchange Rate (DEXNOUS)fred.stlouisfed.org
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System via FRED, U.S. Dollars to U.K. Pound Sterling Spot Exchange Rate (DEXUSUK)fred.stlouisfed.org
UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Weekly road fuel prices, CSV 2018 onward (ULSP pump price, duty, VAT)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
International Energy Agency, Oil Market Report, March 2026 (coordinated emergency stock release, 400 million barrels)iea.org

What would actually help

Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Energy Survey, Q2 2026 and the Q1 2026 special updateAs of collected 2026-06-09 to 17 (released 06-24) · 2026-04-15 to 20 · dallasfed.org · dallasfed.org
EIA, U.S. Product Supplied of Crude Oil and Petroleum Products (MTTUPUS2); BEA, Real Gross Domestic Product (GDPCA) via FRED; oil per dollar of GDP computed by Solar NewtAs of 1973 vs 2025 · eia.gov · fred.stlouisfed.org
EIA, U.S. petroleum flow (the 2024 edition was used; the link is the current one); Cox Automotive, EV Market Monitor (July 2026)As of 2024 · 2026-07 · eia.gov · coxautoinc.com
EIA, U.S. Product Supplied of Crude Oil and Petroleum Products (MTTUPUS2), annualAs of CY · eia.gov

Map data

World map: "BlankMap-World.svg," Wikimedia Commons, public domaincommons.wikimedia.org

Credits

Archival filmWhen the Circuit Breaks: America's Energy Crisis (Concept Films, 1975), parts 1 and 2, Prelinger Archives via the Internet Archive, public domain. Gas lines, 1974, U.S. Army film, National Archives (111-LC-58207), public domain. Tankers at anchor off Southern California, 2020, U.S. Coast Guard video by PO3 Aidan Cooney (DVIDS 749266) and PO1 Mark Barney (DVIDS 751376), public domain. Empty streets in the 2020 lockdown, Andrea Di Stefano, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.
Archival photographsGas lines, 1979, and Chevette compact cars on a dealer's lot, 1976, Warren K. Leffler, U.S. News & World Report Magazine Photograph Collection, Library of Congress, no known restrictions on publication. Pumps closed on Interstate 5 and a line of cars in Portland, Oregon, 1973, David Falconer, DOCUMERICA, National Archives (555405, 555458), public domain. The Strait of Hormuz from the International Space Station, 2021, NASA (iss064e046338), public domain. A Queens gas price sign, 2022, Tdorante10, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. A gas station on Highway 40, Saudi Arabia, 2023, Ahmed, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. OPEC headquarters, Vienna, Vincent Eisfeld / nordhausen-wiki.de, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
PortraitsRichard Nixon, November 7, 1973, White House Photo Office (Kightlinger), public domain.
LogosApache APA logo, Chevron logo, Conoco Phillips logo, Coterra Energy logo, Devon Energy logo, EOGResources logo, Expand Energy logo, Exxon Mobil logo, Murphy Oil logo, Occidental Petroleum logo, Ovintiv logo, Saudi Aramco logo, from Wikimedia Commons, public domain as simple text logos. The trademarks belong to their owners; shown only to identify the companies discussed.
Documents shown on screen"General Facts on Energy", Frank G. Zarb Papers, Gerald R. Ford Library; Public Papers of the Presidents: Richard Nixon, 1973, p. 920; Energy Policy and Conservation Act, Pub. L. 94-163, §103, 89 Stat. 877, Dec. 22, 1975; Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, Pub. L. 114-113, Div. O, §101, 129 Stat. 2987, Dec. 18, 2015; EIA, Today in Energy, Nov. 3, 2014; EIA, What Drives U.S. Gasoline Prices?, Oct. 2014, Table 4, p. 24; EIA, What Drives U.S. Gasoline Prices?, Oct. 2014, p. 25; Prop. 95 LS (2025–2026), ch. 9.1, Norwegian Ministry of Finance; OPEC press release, 166th Meeting of the OPEC Conference, Vienna, Nov. 27, 2014; OPEC press release, Vienna, Nov. 27, 2014; Executive Order 12287, 46 FR 9909, Jan. 28, 1981; OFAC, General License No. 135, Oct. 9, 2026; American Petroleum Institute, statement, Sept. 22, 2026. Shown briefly as evidence, each cited on screen.
Aerial imageryGoogle Earth: Cushing, Oklahoma; Ingleside, Texas. Google Earth, imagery Airbus: Martin County, Texas; Ras Tanura and Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. Google Earth, imagery Vexcel Imaging US, Inc.: Deer Park, Texas. Google Earth, imagery Airbus, Data SIO, NOAA, U.S. Navy, NGA, GEBCO, Landsat / Copernicus: Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. Google Earth, imagery Data SIO, NOAA, U.S. Navy, NGA, GEBCO: Bryan Mound, Freeport, Texas.
Stock footageStoryblocks, under license (67 clips): coastal refinery tank farm, drilling rig aerial, drilling rig close aerial, drilling rig tilt, drilling rig work 1, drilling rig work 3, ev charging forest, gas field groningen, gas power plant aerial, gas prices adding up, highway rear window, houston west loop, kl aerial, la oil drilling machine, norway fjord rig, nozzle in tank, offshore rig estuary, offshore rigs aerial, oil storage tanks, oil terminal river aerial, oslo centre aerial, petrochemical refinery, pipeline colored, pipeline construction field, pipeline forest, pipes blue sky, product tanker arriving, pump sunset silhouette, pumpjack twilight silhouette, pumpjacks field hundreds, pumpjacks rotating, pumpjacks silhouette pumping, pumpjacks working 1, pumpjacks working 2, pumps silhouette timelapse, refinery factory tanks, refinery silos topdown, refinery storage tanks, refinery zone aerial, rigs parked estuary, rising gas price, riyadh sunrise aerial, road green fields, sabah oil terminal, ships tankers night, singapore tankers pan, station dusk refuel, station fill start, station sunset drivein, tanker adriatic aerial, tanker international waters, tanker night orbit, tanker rotterdam, tanker sailboat, tanker sunset wake, tanker under way, tanker unloading depot, tankers unloading shore, terminal tanker trains, tokyo highways aerial, traders black swan, trans alaska pipeline, truck stop aerial, trucks ramp bridge, west texas flare aerial, worker drill pipe wrench.
MusicYouTube Audio Library: “Faultlines” and “The Palace Gardens,” Asher Fulero; “EBB,” Density & Time; “Down The Rabbit Hole,” “On The Flip” and “Aether,” The Grey Room / Density & Time; “Trilogy,” Telecasted; “Things I Could Have Said,” Adam MacDougall; “Watercolor Lilies,” Aaron Kenny; “Calmity,” Yung Logos.
SoundTypewriter erika5 recordings by Work With Sounds / Konrad Gutkowski, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. Film projector running recordings by Work With Sounds / La Fonderie, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. Page turn (planish), Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Title and end-card stings, tuesdaynight (Pixabay). ui click soft, tick, ui swipe confirm, ui radio select, soundshelfstudio; ui pop, 47313572; paper slide, oxidvideos; ui tap, u-o8xh7gwsrj (Pixabay, Pixabay Content License). Marker circle, stamp thud sounds, Freesound (6789, 44189). Pencil draw, pencil draw hit sounds, YouTube Audio Library.
GraphicsCharts, maps, boards and pictograms drawn for Solar Newt; the flat pictograms are generated for the channel and carry no outside credit.
FREDThis product uses the FRED® API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.