Are “Energy Lockdowns” Coming to America?

by the author of How to Prep When You’re Broke

When I first heard the term “energy lockdown” I was surprised and uneasy. I wasn’t quite sure what such a thing would entail but I didn’t have to go very far back into my memory banks to remember another “lockdown” for our own good.

I won’t continuously cover this topic, but it’s important enough for me to step outside my no-more-news bubble to warn you of what may be coming.

The war in the Middle East, particularly the impassable Strait of Hormuz, is threatening global fuel shortages, as tankers are unable to safely transit with their cargo.  To make matters worse, yesterday, Valero’s Port Arthur refinery blew up, sending dark smoke toward the sky and causing the surrounding area to be under a shelter-in-place order.

Here’s what we should know about this refinery.

The Port Arthur Platform was built in 1936 and acquired in 1973. In the heart of the major industrial zone of Port Arthur, Texas, the refinery employs more than 600 people. As one of TotalEnergies’ six refining and petrochemicals platforms worldwide, the Port Arthur Refinery has a daily processing capacity of 238,000 barrels per day and is our largest facility in the United States. The refinery can process heavy crude oil as well as lighter domestic crudes. It also has a dedicated unit to produce low-sulfur fuels, which reduce greenhouse gas emissions. (source)

According to the media and statements from the plant, this was an unfortunate accident that occurred when “an “unforeseeable release of process fluid in Complex 2” led to an ignition event and multiple process unit upsets.”

So, clearly, that event had absolutely nothing to do with the oil crisis and was just a terrible coincidence. It was certainly not the result of a terror attack on that extremely vital plant.

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What is an energy lockdown?

First things first, you may be wondering what the heck an energy lockdown is? Well, lucky for you, we already have some examples which we will get to in a moment.

Whenever I think about the government mandating something, I get flashbacks to the last time that happened. It sparked extreme vitriol and crushed our economy in a way we still haven’t bounced back from. Later, at a Congressional hearing, we would learn from Anthony Fauci, the mastermind behind it all, that they were just making stuff up, and that mandates like “six feet apart” and “masking materials” had no basis in science.

Again, the lockdowns could start in Asia.

While nobody has imposed full work-from-home mandates, such measures are actively being considered.

Pakistan has closed schools for two weeks (we’ve heard ‘two weeks’ before) and is allowing office workers to work from home. Sri Lanka declared Wednesdays to be a public holiday to help make its fuel supplies go further.

Here are some of the draconian measures being considered in Pakistan, where Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah is leading the charge.

• Smart lockdowns, first introduced in Pakistan during the Covid-19 pandemic, are targeted restrictions aimed at controlling movement and limiting gatherings in specific areas.
• Under this system, authorities can impose restrictions on individual neighbourhoods, streets, or communities, rather than enforcing a city-wide shutdown.
• In areas under a smart lockdown, no more than four people are allowed to gather at a time, and only one person per household may leave their home after explaining their reason to law enforcement.
• Public events, social gatherings, and celebrations are prohibited, while neighbourhoods, and targeted zones may be sealed.

It’s easy to say “that is in Asia, it can’t happen to us” but one who says such a thing is one with a very short memory.

Rationing and restrictions are already being enforced in many countries.

• Europe’s 50-liter limit: Countries like Slovenia have imposed a strict 50-liter daily cap on fuel for private citizens. Long queues at petrol stations have become the new checkpoints, with police monitoring purchases to prevent hoarding.
• The four-day mandate: The Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan have introduced a mandatory four-day workweek for public sector employees. Designed to reduce commuting, the measure ensures fuel is reserved for emergency services.
• National fuel rationing has been implemented in countries such as Slovenia, Hungary, Sri Lanka, and India, with private citizens limited to between 15 and 50 liters per day.
• The aviation sector is experiencing massive disruptions, with airlines like United, Air New Zealand, and Lufthansa canceling or rerouting over 40,000 flights this month.
• In parts of Asia, including the Philippines, Thailand, and Pakistan, governments have mandated work-from-home policies and limited public sector operations to reduce commuting and conserve energy.
• Meanwhile, countries such as South Korea, Egypt, and Nigeria have imposed government-enforced price ceilings to prevent hyperinflation and keep essential fuel accessible.

It’s also being suggested that Australians work from home and drive more slowly.  The UK is considering lowering speed limits.

Just because this isn’t being publicly discussed in the US doesn’t mean that these things aren’t a possibility as the war that (almost) nobody wanted drags on.

Now is the time to start prepping for this.

I’ll write more tomorrow about ways we can prepare for such restrictions should they reach our shores. But for crying out loud, order some toilet paper because that is the big thing that everyone remembers, and it isn’t a stretch to think that’s what even non-preppers will stock up on.

Governments around the world have already seen how easy it is to curb activities within their countries. We’ve already watched it happen once, six years ago.

But what do you think? Do you foresee a “lockdown” based on energy? Do you think this will occur in the USA? Why or why not?

Let’s discuss it in the comments section.

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