Press & Media
Reporters and producers reach me for plain-English analysis of gas, diesel, crude, and refined-products markets. A selection of recent coverage is below, and I'm quick to respond on deadline.
On the record
Quoted across national business and news media on gas, diesel, crude, and the geopolitics moving all of it.
Recent coverage
Across national business and news outlets. Updated October 2026.
Analysis
Oct 14, 2026
ABC reports Patrick's GasBuddy tally: the national average has been at or above $4 a gallon on 158 days this year, the most ever recorded in a single calendar year.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Oct 14, 2026
NewsNation reports Patrick's finding that the national average has topped $4 a gallon on 158 days this year, a record, as September inflation rose to 3.7% with gasoline driving more than half of the monthly increase.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Oct 14, 2026
Patrick explains that heating oil tracks diesel since the two are nearly identical products, traces the squeeze to Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries and Russia's diesel export halt, and warns customers could pay around $7 a gallon.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Oct 9, 2026
Patrick expects any price impact to stay mostly along the Gulf Coast rather than nationally, and says shut-in offshore oil production should return within a couple of days if platforms avoid serious damage.
Read the coverage.svg)
Analysis
Oct 8, 2026
Patrick warns that flooding could knock refineries in the storm's path offline for up to 10 days, creating a short-term squeeze on gasoline, but says the bigger, longer-lasting pressure is the global refining crunch tied to attacks on Russian refineries.
Read the coverage.svg)
Explainer
Oct 7, 2026
Patrick explains why the executive order may do less than it sounds: states still enforce their own rules, the fuel isn't entirely tax-free, farmers already get untaxed diesel, and lowering the price without adding supply could even stimulate demand.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Oct 5, 2026
Patrick calls the drop "not exactly the most organic decline," pointing to fuel tax holidays in Georgia and Ohio and strategic releases as the drivers, and warns price-cycling states like Florida could swing back up.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Sep 30, 2026
Patrick notes that high gas prices heading into an election traditionally hurt the incumbent party, as they did Democrats in 2022, and explains why the usual fall decline has been delayed by tensions with Iran and Russia.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Sep 29, 2026
Patrick explains why Georgia drivers won't see the full savings right away, since the tax is collected at the wholesale level, and estimates prices could fall 25 to 30 cents a gallon over the next week or two.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Sep 29, 2026
As the administration looks at expanding tax-free red-dyed diesel instead of an export ban, Patrick doubts it would make a difference, since it adds no new supply.
Read the coverage
Video
Sep 28, 2026
Patrick breaks down the recent "roller coaster ride" in prices for ABC News Live as pump prices ease during the standoff with Iran.
Read the coverage
Video
Sep 28, 2026
On CNBC's The Exchange, Patrick walks through how a diesel export ban would ripple through fuel markets, and why it could end up pushing prices higher instead of lower.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Sep 28, 2026
Reuters reports the White House is considering wider use of untaxed red-dyed diesel. Patrick's take: it's the same fuel with dye added, and "does nothing to improve supply or impact price."
Read the coverage
Analysis
Sep 28, 2026
With diesel affordability becoming a midterm issue in farm states, Benzinga cites Patrick's view that tax-exempt dyed diesel wouldn't improve supply or lower prices.
Read the coverage
Video
Sep 25, 2026
Patrick gives ABC News his outlook for gas prices over the coming week, with the national average for regular up more than $1.50 a gallon since the war with Iran began.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Sep 23, 2026
Patrick explains why an export ban could backfire: the U.S. isn't short of diesel, the world is, and a ban could push gasoline toward record levels. He points to extending the Jones Act waiver as a better tool, warning the cure would be worse than the disease.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Sep 23, 2026
As lawmakers push to keep diesel at home for farmers and truckers, economists and oil analysts explain how an export ban could backfire and raise what Americans pay at the pump.
Read the coverage
Profile
Sep 23, 2026
A profile of Patrick's work as the internet's go-to gas price analyst: correcting viral misinformation, sticking to data when readers on both sides push back, and explaining fuel markets to a broad audience.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Sep 23, 2026
CNBC cites Patrick's warning that gasoline prices could climb toward record levels if the U.S. bans diesel exports.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Sep 22, 2026
Patrick cautions that any relief from an export ban would likely stay concentrated in Gulf Coast states, calling it a complex issue disguised as something easy and fast to do.
Read the coverage.svg)
Analysis
Sep 17, 2026
Patrick tells CBS MoneyWatch that lost refining capacity overseas and at home is driving the surge, and that consumers should plan on higher prices for longer.
Read the coverage
Fact check
Sep 17, 2026
As photos of empty diesel pumps spread online, Patrick uses GasBuddy data to show there are no widespread outages, urging readers to fact-check claims before they fuel panic.
Read the coverage
Video
Sep 13, 2026
On Bloomberg This Weekend, Patrick explains why simply pumping more crude won't fix the crunch: refiners are already running near their limits, leaving little room to add gasoline and diesel supply quickly.
Read the coverage
Feature
Sep 11, 2026
On Power Lunch, Patrick warns that record diesel, the fuel that moves food, freight, and nearly everything else, is becoming a "silent killer" for the broader economy, with Americans paying roughly $700 million more a day for fuel than a year earlier.
Read the coverage
Explainer
Sep 11, 2026
Patrick walks through the consumer fallout of record diesel, warning it could "blow past" $8 in California, where some pumps aren't even built to display what comes next, and that the cost feeds straight into groceries and freight.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Sep 11, 2026
Patrick breaks the record down for households, from the refrigerated food supply chain to farming and heavy transport, and cautions that California prices could run beyond $8 a gallon.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Sep 11, 2026
Patrick frames the milestone in supply-chain terms as diesel tops $6 across all 50 states, with higher freight costs poised to filter into what consumers pay at the store.
Read the coverage
Video
Sep 11, 2026
A Fast Money breakdown of what's pushing pump prices up late in the season, and how far the move could run as geopolitical supply shocks work through the market.
Read the coverage.svg)
Analysis
Sep 4, 2026
Patrick tells Axios that until the refining picture improves, both gasoline and diesel face continued upward pressure, with the diesel crack spread hitting record triple-digit highs just as harvest season peaks.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Sep 2026
Patrick's weekly analysis is cited on the unusual late-season strength in prices, with diesel, the fuel that drives the U.S. economy, leading the way higher rather than easing into winter.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Sep 2026
Patrick lays out the two forces driving pump prices higher, noting diesel surged in every state in a single week while a new Labor Day record for gasoline eclipsed a mark that had stood since 2012.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Aug 11, 2026
Patrick explains how the extended waiver is helping more domestic crude and refined fuel reach different U.S. ports, easing some of the strain from the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Jun 15, 2026
As a U.S.-Iran agreement eased oil costs, Patrick flags the national average dipping under $4 but stays measured on whether the relief will hold, given how quickly renewed tensions could reverse it.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Jun 7, 2026
The Post covers GasBuddy's grim summer outlook for California drivers and Patrick's warning about how high prices could run in the state.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Jun 2, 2026
Patrick explains that fuel prices only normalize once tankers move freely through the Strait of Hormuz again, and that the recovery could take anywhere from several months to a few years.
Read the coverage
Analysis
May 5, 2026
Patrick expects prices to keep climbing unless a peace deal ends the war, since U.S. fuel inventories were already unusually low for the season.
Read the coverage
Analysis
May 4, 2026
Patrick warns California gasoline could climb to $6.50 to $7 a gallon after the final shipment, and that even a quick reopening of the strait would bring prices down only slowly, possibly not until mid-2027.
Read the coverage
Interview
May 2026
Business Insider sits down with Patrick on watching oil markets around the clock and the viral 'monitoring the situation' meme.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Apr 30, 2026
Patrick ties the surge to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and warns the national average could hit $4.50 within a week, with new records possible if the strait stays shut.
Read the coverage
Video
Apr 7, 2026
Patrick joins CNBC to call the next leg higher in diesel, with the national average poised to set new records within days.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Mar 30, 2026
Patrick's GasBuddy estimate puts the war's added gas bill at about $8 billion in its first month, warning that households will cut back elsewhere and that surging diesel will raise shipping costs and slow the economy.
Read the coverage
Video
Mar 27, 2026
Patrick tells CNBC why further increases at the pump are locked in for the days ahead as the Iran war keeps pressure on oil supply.
Read the coverage
Video
Mar 5, 2026
Patrick puts a dollar figure on the war's early hit to drivers, estimating Americans would spend roughly $900 million more on gasoline in a single week.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Mar 5, 2026
Patrick expects gasoline to rise another 10 to 15 cents over the following week before the pace eases, attributing most of the jump to the Iran war rather than seasonal demand.
Read the coverage
Video
Dec 9, 2025
On Varney & Co., Patrick makes the early call for a fourth straight year of easing prices, the outlook that framed much of the 2026 conversation before geopolitics intervened.
Read the coverage
Video
Nov 19, 2025
Patrick joins Varney & Co. to break down holiday travel and a $3.02 national average, the cheapest Thanksgiving gas since 2020, and what the government shutdown meant for prices at the pump.
Read the coverage
Video
Oct 15, 2024
On Morning Brief, Patrick reads the oil market as Israel signals it won't hit Iran's output, arguing seasonal demand and a supply surplus could pull the national average under $3 for the first time since 2021.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Oct 14, 2024
Patrick expects the worst of Tampa's outages to ease within two to five days, with some stations dry for another week or more as deliveries catch up, and the rest of Florida back to normal in five to 10 days.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Oct 9, 2024
Patrick tells CBS MoneyWatch that up to half of Cape Coral's stations are dry, points evacuees to large travel stops with bigger tanks, and urges drivers without an immediate need not to rush to fill up.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Oct 8, 2024
Patrick explains how millions of evacuees heading north on I-75 and I-95 outpaced fuel deliveries, pushing statewide outages sharply higher within hours.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Aug 2024
Patrick's outlook on a holiday-weekend milestone, with the national average easing to its lowest Labor Day level in three years as demand cools and supply holds steady heading into fall.
Read the coverage
Video
May 24, 2024
A holiday-travel outlook heading into Memorial Day weekend, with Patrick on where gas prices sit for the unofficial start of the summer driving season and what to expect through the months ahead.
Read the coverage
Profile
Mar 28, 2024
A profile of the job behind the numbers, refinery runs, inventories, and market data, and Patrick's running effort to correct what the public is told about who actually controls the price at the pump.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Sep 2, 2023
Patrick traces the biggest swings of the Biden years to forces outside the White House, from COVID-19's collapse and rebound to refinery closures and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and says the worst of the price pressure had likely passed.
Read the coverage
Profile
Aug 2022
A West Wing Playbook profile on how closely Washington, the White House included, tracks Patrick's fuel-price data, and the outsized role a single analyst's numbers can play in the national conversation.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Aug 2022
Patrick says no politician can take credit for the summer slide, with more than 81,000 stations already at $3.99 or less and room for prices to keep falling.
Read the coverage
Video
Jun 4, 2022
With the national average at a record $4.82 and $5 in sight, Patrick explains why prices would keep climbing as refiners struggled to keep pace with demand.
Read the coverage
Breaking
Mar 7, 2022
Patrick calls the new all-time high in real time, a $4.104 national average edging past 2008's $4.103, and warns the higher prices would stick around far longer this time.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Jun 30, 2021
Ahead of the Fourth of July, Patrick explains that spotty station outages stem from a shortage of tanker drivers, not fuel, with refineries producing near-record gasoline, and says the delays shouldn't move pump prices much.
Read the coverage
Analysis
May 13, 2021
Patrick quantifies the panic buying that followed the cyberattack, with U.S. gasoline demand running more than 11% above normal that week.
Read the coverage
Analysis
May 13, 2021
As the national average returned to $3 a gallon, Patrick put the jump in context, noting that higher prices also reflected Americans getting back out to travel and events as the pandemic eased.
Read the coverage
Analysis
May 13, 2021
With the pipeline restarting, Patrick was hopeful the shortage would ease quickly and urged drivers to hold off on filling up for a day or two so stations could restock faster.
Read the coverage
Analysis
May 12, 2021
Patrick tells CNN Business that panic buying, not a lack of fuel, was running stations dry across the Southeast after the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack, with demand up 40% in five states.
Read the coverage
Analysis
May 12, 2021
As demand overwhelmed the GasBuddy app, Patrick pointed drivers to GasBuddy's fuel availability tracker and reported 28% of North Carolina stations were out of fuel, with more than 17% out in Virginia and Georgia.
Read the coverage
Analysis
May 12, 2021
Business Insider cites Patrick's GasBuddy outage data showing shortages worsening overnight, with North Carolina, Georgia and Virginia, and the Atlanta, Charlotte and Raleigh areas, hit hardest.
Read the coverage
Analysis
May 12, 2021
Patrick urges Atlanta drivers not to stockpile gasoline, warning that hoarding would prolong shortages and push prices higher, and to buy only what they need until the pipeline is fully running.
Read the coverage
Analysis
May 11, 2021
As the Colonial Pipeline stayed offline, Patrick warns that drivers rushing to top off would strain the system and make outages worse and longer.
Read the coverage
Analysis
May 11, 2021
Patrick estimates the shutdown left the supply system short more than half a billion gallons, the equivalent of about 12,500 tanker loads, and warns stations could take weeks to fully restock given hoarding and a driver shortage.
Read the coverage
Analysis
May 11, 2021
Patrick cautions that the share of Atlanta stations without gas may be higher than GasBuddy data first showed, and warns that panic buying could prolong the outages.
Read the coverage
Analysis
May 10, 2021
Patrick explains why prices moved cautiously in the first days: with little word on a restart, the market didn't know whether Colonial would resume in a day or several.
Read the coverage
Analysis
May 9, 2021
Patrick expects the effects to take days to show up, says a shutdown lasting more than five days could hit some Southeast states, and warns that panic buying would make any shortage worse.
Read the coverage
Explainer
May 8, 2021
Patrick says problems from the shutdown would only build after a few days and warns that panic buying on unfounded shortage fears could make a temporary outage much worse.
Read the coverage
Fact check
May 2021
Patrick sets the record straight: the country had gas, it just couldn't be delivered for a few days, "almost like UPS or FedEx couldn't deliver a package."
Read the coverage
Explainer
Aug 26, 2020
As Hurricane Laura closed in on the Gulf Coast refining hub, the Journal breaks down why storms send pump prices swinging and how quickly they can settle.
Read the coverage
Analysis
May 2020
With COVID-19 keeping drivers home, Patrick says pump prices could hit their lowest Memorial Day levels since 2003.
Read the coverage
Explainer
Apr 23, 2020
After crude futures went below zero for the first time, Patrick explains how it happened, why producers would have to cut output, and what it meant for gas stations.
Read the coverage
Explainer
Apr 20, 2020
Patrick explains why refining, transportation and taxes keep pump prices well above zero even when crude futures go negative.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Apr 20, 2020
On The Claman Countdown, Patrick says gasoline won't mirror crude's historic plunge, but the national average could still fall below the lows of 2016 and even 2000.
Read the coverage
Feature
Sep 22, 2017
A first-hand account of Patrick and GasBuddy working inside the Florida Division of Emergency Management, turning crowdsourced outage reports into data for the state's fuel response.
Read the coverage
Feature
Sep 12, 2017
How GasBuddy rebuilt its app overnight, in a pizza-fueled hackathon, so Florida drivers fleeing Irma could see which stations were out of fuel or without power.
Read the coverage
Radio
Sep 12, 2017
On All Things Considered, Patrick reports outages above 40%, and as high as 65%, across Florida's major metros after Irma, slowing evacuees trying to get home.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Sep 11, 2017
Patrick warns outages would likely rise before they fall, with reopening Florida's ports the key to refilling stations after mass evacuations.
Read the coverage
Feature
Sep 9, 2017
The Journal on how drivers leaned on GasBuddy's crowdsourced fuel tracker as Irma evacuations drained stations across Florida.
Read the coverage
Radio
Sep 8, 2017
Patrick explains on All Things Considered that surging demand, not a lack of fuel, was emptying stations, with 60% of Gainesville and 40% of Miami-area stations dry as tanker trucks couldn't load fast enough.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Sep 8, 2017
As GasBuddy data showed the biggest weekly jump since 2005, CNBC cites Patrick on Harvey's price hit reaching every state ahead of Irma's landfall.
Read the coverage
Feature
Sep 7, 2017
Gov. Rick Scott points Floridians to GasBuddy to find fuel before Irma, as the crowdsourced tracker showed hundreds of dry stations across Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Sep 7, 2017
Patrick tracks outages spreading across South Florida, with more than a third of Miami-Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach stations dry while supply in Texas improved.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Sep 7, 2017
Patrick explains why Irma wouldn't spike prices the way Harvey did, and why the sheer number of drivers was overwhelming trucks and terminals.
Read the coverage
Radio
Sep 6, 2017
On WITF's Smart Talk, Patrick says Harvey's price spike had likely peaked as refineries came back online, with declines expected within a week or so.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Sep 5, 2017
Pump prices keep climbing after Labor Day even as Texas refiners begin restarting after Harvey's flooding.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Sep 2017
Reporting from the emergency command center in Tallahassee, Patrick tracks Florida's recovery as statewide outages fall to 37%, with the Panhandle still hardest hit.
Read the coverage
Feature
Sep 2017
NBC News on the apps people leaned on through back-to-back hurricanes, with GasBuddy showing which Florida stations still had fuel and power as downloads jumped more than 400%.
Read the coverage
Feature
Sep 2017
As Floridians searched for fuel ahead of Irma, GasBuddy climbed to the top of the App Store charts.
Read the coverage
Feature
Sep 2017
Mashable on the apps Floridians downloaded to prepare for Irma, with GasBuddy among the most in demand as drivers hunted for open stations.
Read the coverage
Feature
Sep 2017
Ars Technica on how Floridians prepared for Irma, from a tenfold jump in GasBuddy downloads to how the state's infrastructure held up.
Read the coverage
Video
Sep 2017
Patrick on bringing GasBuddy's crowdsourced data to state officials and the Department of Energy to show where fuel was needed most.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Sep 1, 2017
AP names Patrick and OPIS's Tom Kloza as two of the leading price forecasters as both see the national average heading toward $2.75, while Patrick notes most Dallas fuel terminals still had supply.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Aug 31, 2017
Prices jump nationwide as refinery outages along the Texas coast ripple through the fuel system.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Aug 28, 2017
As Harvey stalls over Texas and floods the nation's largest refining hub, the Journal tracks the first wave of price increases at the pump.
Read the coverage
Video
Nov 25, 2016
A sit-down on Here & Now about sub-$2 gas heading into Thanksgiving, and what low prices mean for drivers, the economy and domestic producers.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Aug 12, 2015
Patrick breaks down a spike at Michigan pumps for local drivers, tracing the jump to regional refining and supply swings and what it signaled for prices in the weeks that followed.
Read the coverage
Analysis
2015
Patrick on the forces pulling pump prices lower, from softer crude to rising domestic production, and what the shift meant for drivers heading into the season.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Dec 11, 2014
As crude slid below $60, Patrick explains what the drop means downstream for gasoline, and how far the relief could travel to drivers at the pump heading into the new year.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Dec 4, 2014
With the first U.S. station in years dipping under $2, Patrick maps out why cheap gas clusters where it does, from crude access and Gulf supply to state taxes and local infrastructure.
Read the coverage
Analysis
Nov 18, 2014
Patrick on a cheaper holiday at the pump, with falling gas prices freeing up household budgets and putting more travelers on the road for the Thanksgiving stretch.
Read the coverageRegularly featured in
.svg)
Media inquiries