Republicans Want More Control Over America’s Oil Reserve. They Should Scrap It Instead.

In March 2022, as crude oil prices spiked amid Russia’s war in Ukraine, President Joe Biden announced that he would be tapping into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to help mitigate rising gas prices. In what he called a “wartime bridge,” Biden authorized the release of up to 180 million barrels over six months.

This week, the Biden administration is clashing with House Republicans over a bill that would limit its control over future SPR releases. A better idea would be to simply scrap the reserve altogether.

In 1975, after an oil embargo against the United States by Arab nations, Congress established the SPR, with an emergency supply of up to 1 billion barrels. To mitigate the effects of future embargoes or foreign wars, the Department of Energy (DOE) would sell oil to oil companies experiencing shortages or disruptions.

This month, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R–Wash.), who now heads the House Energy and Commerce Committee, introduced H.R. 21, the Strategic Production Response Act. The bill would limit the government’s ability to release reserve oil until the DOE opens up more federal land for production of oil and gas. In a letter seen by Reuters, DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm cautioned Republicans against the bill, arguing that it would “significantly weaken this critical energy security tool, resulting in more oil supply shortages in times of crisis and higher gasoline prices for Americans.”

But despite numerous disbursements over the years, Biden’s announcement marked only the second time the reserve had been used for its intended purpose, to address “a severe energy supply interruption” causing “a severe increase in the price of petroleum products” that is “likely to cause a major adverse impact on the national economy.” Mo