Central Wyoming News

U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), chair of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, have sent a letter to Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. The correspondence follows reports that the Biden administration is preparing to further deplete the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR).

The letter criticizes what it describes as the misuse of the SPR for political purposes, particularly in an election year. The legislators urge Secretary Granholm to safeguard the reserve.

"Under President Biden, the SPR has reached its lowest level since 1983," states the letter. "The DOE has overseen the largest sale in history, amounting to a total of 290 million barrels. When President Biden took office in January 2021, the SPR contained 638 million barrels of oil. Today, the SPR currently contains 367 million barrels of oil, which represents nearly a 42 percent decline from when President Biden took office."

The letter further asserts that "under the Biden administration, the SPR has been abused for political purposes to try and bring down record high gasoline prices that are driving record high inflation that are a consequence of the administration’s radical rush to 'green' energy policies." It highlights specific instances such as releases announced in November 2021 and March 2022.

"We urge you, in the strongest terms, to put this country’s energy security first and stop abusing the SPR for political purposes," concludes Barrasso and Rodgers. "As the Secretary of Energy, it is your responsibility to ensure that the SPR is ready to respond to true energy supply disruptions."