U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve faces stress as emergency releases strain old infrastructure
The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve is under strain as massive stockpile releases in response to wars in the Middle East and Europe have stressed old infrastructure in need of repair.
The SPR this week fell to its lowest level since March 1983 after the U.S. withdrew 352 million barrels of crude oil in four years to ease supply disruptions triggered by its war with Iran and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Federal auditors have found that the SPR’s ability to respond to future emergencies is at risk. A May report quoted Department of Energy officials telling auditors that the reserve’s web of pipelines, caverns and storage tanks is held together “with ‘Band-Aids,’ and that it is uncertain how long they will hold.”
