Governing by executive order has never been optimal in a system ostensibly built around elected representation to sustain three equal branches, but this week’s developments on that front might be the prime example of the flaws in such an approach.
As Capitol News Illinois reported, Gov. JB Pritzker put the entire state under a disaster declaration Tuesday, doing so by issuing his eighth executive order of 2026. (The other seven, along with records dating back to the Ryan administration, are found at illinois.gov/government/executive-orders.html.)
The stated reason, after reading through a dozen “whereas” clauses, is “the diesel fuel crisis.” Pritzker’s order came hot on the heels of a federal executive order dated Monday on the same topic: making fuel more affordable for farmers and truckers.
Pritzker and President Donald Trump (understatement alert) agree on very little, and the way each executive drafted their statement makes that abundantly clear.
“Restricted global diesel supply has led to rising prices, and these key industries have been particularly hard hit,” Trump wrote in his opening paragraph.
Pritzker’s first sentence: “Whereas, the Trump Administration’s war with Iran has disrupted the global flow of trade through the Strait of Hormuz.”
Partisanship aside, the dueling and/or compatible decrees are problematic because, in purporting to make things easier, the end result is more confusion with the potential for even greater challenges downstream.
As CNI noted, the general gist is allowing red-dyed diesel fuels on highways. The fuel is chemically identical to regular diesel, but the red dye indicates it’s exempt from taxes applicable to sales for vehicles that go on highways. Farmers who usually can only put red diesel in their off-road machinery can now do so for other equipment, hopefully lowering the cost of doing business at a time when so much else is beyond control.
Not so fast, according to Nate Harris, the Illinois Fuel and Retailer Association leader, who told CNI the federal order is written such that retailers might be responsible for remitting deferred taxes in January, and although the Illinois Department of Revenue and State Police now aren’t supposed to penalize the sale or use of dyed diesel through the end of the year, there’s no clarity about what happens as of Jan. 1, especially given the dye can stay in fuel tanks for several months.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun signed his own order Sept. 30, but it expires Nov. 4. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds this week expanded an earlier proclamation through Groundhog Day.
The legislative and judicial branches fundamentally can’t operate with similar expedience. Deliberation is likewise no guarantee of efficient outcomes. But executive orders clearly haven’t solved the problems record fuel prices create, and pretending otherwise only exacerbates the underlying struggle.
• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.
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October 10, 2026 at 10:00AM
