Gas Station Adds ‘Treaty Blend’ Diesel Between Regular and Premium

AMARILLO, Texas — A truck-stop owner on Interstate 40 added a fourth fuel grade to his pumps Saturday, a diesel he is marketing as “Treaty Blend” and pricing somewhere between regular, premium and a 2022 act of Congress.

“It’s got a lot of character,” said Dale Pumphrey, 58, owner of the Panhandle Pit Stop, as he smoothed a vinyl sticker onto pump 6. “Low sulfur, a little Siberia on the finish, and you can really taste the waived sanctions memo.”

President Donald Trump announced Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to release more than 300,000 tons of diesel to American and global markets, with 500,000 more in November. On Sunday, a bipartisan group of senators urged the administration to immediately reverse course, noting that Congress banned Russian energy imports in 2022 and saying the White House never consulted lawmakers or submitted the justification the law requires. Pumphrey said that is why the sticker has an asterisk.

The asterisk leads to a laminated placard reading “Treaty Blend has not been reviewed by the U.S. Senate. Do not ask the cashier about Ukraine. No refunds on geopolitics.”

Regular customer Lorna Gearjammer, 44, a trucker hauling sorghum to Oklahoma City, has filled up with Treaty Blend twice. “Rig runs fine,” she said. “But the receipt prints a second copy for the Kremlin, and my rewards card now earns points in rubles.”

Analysts have said the promised volume is unlikely to move diesel prices much, a finding Pumphrey confirmed by checking his sign. “Same price as Friday,” he said. “But now it comes with a foreign policy.”

Hours after this story was filed, Pumphrey added a fifth nozzle labeled “2022 Law,” wrapped it in caution tape and hung a sign reading “Temporarily Not Enforced — Please Pay Inside.”