Faced with diesel prices at historic highs, the White House is weighing a 90-day export ban — a measure that feels intuitive in its logic but may unravel in its consequences. The desire to keep fuel at home reflects real pressure on truckers, farmers, and working Americans, yet the deeper mechanics of energy markets suggest that restricting exports could shrink total supply rather than expand it. It is an old tension in economic governance: the urgency to act visibly can outpace the patience required to act wisely.