Shortcomings of Biden Administration Put American Energy Security at High Risk

July 17, 2023

The Biden Administration has once again put America in a poor position with the continued mismanagement of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. In an effort to lower gas prices ahead of midterm elections last year, the Biden Administration opted to sell 180 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), the world’s largest supply of crude oil. This massive sale has the SPR currently sitting below 50% capacity, which is extremely concerning given the lengthy and expensive process to refill such a massive reserve. 

Bloomberg reports, 

“It would be a very slow process even if you had the money and the facilities were are all in good shape,” John Shages, who previously oversaw the oil cache for the Energy Department, said in an interview. “It could take decades.” […] “DOE’s mismanagement of the SPR has undermined America’s energy security, leaving the nation more vulnerable to energy supply disruptions, and increasing the ability for OPEC and Russia to use energy as a geopolitical weapon,” top House and Senate Republicans wrote in a May letter to the Government Accountability Office.”’

This is yet another disappointing instance where the Biden Administration has seemingly put the United States at a global disadvantage to advance a political agenda. It is a shame that the America we live in today is one where we are forced to watch our own leadership repeatedly set us up for failure.