The letter was sent to a dozen port and terminal operators, according to The New York Times, which reported that Sherrill warned the recipients they "could be subject to millions of dollars in penalties" long after President Trump leaves office [1].
The warning marks a direct state-level challenge to a federal authorization issued by the Treasury Department on Oct. 9, which was intended to allow Russian diesel to reach global markets. Sherrill's letter placed port and terminal operators in the position of weighing conflicting guidance from Washington and Trenton, a conflict that remains unresolved.
Federal Ban and Treasury License
The Trump administration moved in the opposite direction this fall.
The market turmoil that preceded the license was documented in other reporting: Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries, Western sanctions, and refinery outages caused diesel prices to surge in the U.S. and Europe, leading to fuel rationing and panic buying, and refining margins reached record highs even as crude oil prices fell [2].
The administration's opening to Russian fuel has run alongside other federal actions. Trump signed the Lindsey O. In Britain, the Labour government waived sanctions on Russian-origin diesel and jet fuel processed in third countries, citing spiking fuel prices and concerns about jet fuel supply shortages [3].
Sherrill's Legal Challenge
"New Jersey will not stand by while Donald Trump supports Vladimir Putin at the expense of Americans. Instead of lowering costs, he is helping finance Putin's war against Ukraine and a global campaign of violence and terror that endangers U.S. service members abroad," Sherrill said in a statement.
The governor, described by World Ports as a former Navy helicopter pilot, also criticized the administration for allowing purchases of Russian fuel while Moscow continues its war against Ukraine and provides support to Iran, where U.S. forces remain engaged in hostilities [4].
The letter echoed a pattern in which the executive branch has sought to retain discretion over Russia sanctions policy. In 2025, Trump signaled he was willing to sign sweeping Russia sanctions legislation targeting nations that buy Russian oil, gas, and uranium, but only if he retained full control over how and when sanctions are applied, with the White House pushing to remove congressional oversight from parts of the bill [5]. Sherrill's letter tests whether a state governor can interpose her own legal interpretation against that discretion at the port level.
White House Response and Market Context
Trump reportedly pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a phone call to halt long-range drone strikes on Russian refineries, citing Financial Times and Bloomberg reports [6].
U.S. diesel costs have soared as the war in Iran and Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries drive up oil prices. Earlier in the fall, retail diesel prices reached a record $5.85 per gallon on Sept. 4, surpassing the previous all-time high from June 2022, according to AAA data [7]. The Department of Energy's weekly benchmark diesel price, used for most fuel surcharges, rose 9.7 cents a gallon to $6.276 in an October reading [8].
How far prices have climbed over the longer term is visible in the February benchmark, when the DOE/EIA weekly retail diesel price stood at $3.681 a gallon after a 5.7-cent increase [9]. The administration's response has included a release of 172 million barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the largest single drawdown since the reserve was created in the 1970s, as part of a coordinated international effort [10]. Diesel's role as the fuel of freight, farming and heavy industry means that its price feeds into broader consumer costs; John Migliorini, vice president of Lakeville Trucking in Rochester, New York, said in earlier reporting that with fuel prices going through the roof, truckers have no choice but to charge customers more [11].
Conclusion
Sherrill pledged to use legal and regulatory measures to ensure New Jersey's ports and facilities are not used to receive Russian diesel, according to the letter [12].
No immediate public response from New Jersey port officials was reported, and the legal question of whether the Treasury Department's temporary general license is sufficient to override the 2022 congressional import ban remains unresolved. Some energy analysts predicted further federal intervention, including a potential ban on U.S. diesel exports, arguing that the political math made such a move nearly inevitable given the price levels [13].
References
- Governor Warns New Jersey Ports to Turn Away Russian Fuel. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/02/nyregion/new-jersey-russian-fuel-sherrill-ports.html
- Ukrainian strikes sanctions fuel global diesel crisis as prices soar - NaturalNews.com, November 18, 2025.
- UK government quietly eases Russian oil sanctions amid fuel price crisis - NaturalNews.com, May 23, 2026.
- New Jersey Governor Warns Ports Against Handling Russian Diesel. https://www.worldports.org/new-jersey-governor-warns-ports-against-handling-russian-diesel/
- Trump open to bone-crushing Russia sanctions bill but only on his terms - NaturalNews.com, July 12, 2025.
- Trump Pushes Zelensky to Halt Russia Refinery Attacks Amid High Diesel Prices - NaturalNews.com, September 22, 2026.
- U.S. Diesel Pump Prices Reach Record High as Refined Products Supply Tightens - NaturalNews.com, September 07, 2026.
- Benchmark diesel price up as market takes a short breather. https://www.freightwaves.com/news/benchmark-diesel-price-up-as-market-takes-a-short-breather
- Diesel benchmark and futures move up again, but with possible signs of a peak. https://www.freightwaves.com/news/diesel-benchmark-and-futures-move-up-again-but-with-possible-signs-of-a-peak
- Trump Orders Historic 172M Barrel SPR Release Amid Middle East Crisis Lowest Reserve Levels Since 1970s - NaturalNews.com, March 17, 2026.
- Record gas prices are pushing up everyday costs could lead to recession - NaturalNews.com, March 16, 2022.
- Governor Sherrill Puts Port and Terminal Operators on Notice Against .... https://www.nj.gov/governor/news/2026/20261102a.shtml
- Why Trump Will Likely Ban Diesel Exports ... and Europe Will Have Only Itself to Blame - NaturalNews.com, September 24, 2026.
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