The city of Dearborn is filling up its fuel reserves, in a move the city is describing as a pre-emptive response to the potential for a resumption in fighting between the U.S. and Iran.
Mayor Abdullah Hammoud told Michigan Public the move was prompted by concerns that global supply-chain instability and spikes in the price of gas caused by resumed conflict could disrupt municipal services.
Hammoud pointed to recent reports that the U.S. is considering new combat operations, as well as a federal directive ordering US army bases to stockpile 90 days worth of supplies.
“We are reading the tea leaves on the messages that the Pentagon is putting out,” Hammoud said, explaining that the fuel purchase was “a necessity to ensure that we had the resources we need to sustain the operations at the level of service that our residents expect.”
Hammoud said the city added 20,000 gallons of diesel and gas, completely filling its municipal fuel stations on Thursday. The purchase totaled $75,000, Hammoud said. The fuel will power emergency vehicles, snowplows, and other city vehicles. With full reserves, Hammoud said, the city could sustain operations for four to six weeks.
Hammoud said the city traditionally waits until reserves are low before purchasing fuel. But uncertainty over global supply chains means that “now what we have to continually ask is at what point in time do we top off again?” Hammoud said.
Hammoud said he was unaware of whether other cities were pursuing a similar response.
Since the U.S. intervention in Iran, Hammoud said, the city has been tracking supply chains much more closely in order to make decisions on how to best sustain municipal operations in Dearborn.
“And these aren't decisions that we need necessarily to be making,” Hammoud said. “We should be able to have the peace of mind that gas and diesel supply chains aren't going to be disrupted.”
