Biden administration launches plan to replenish U.S. oil reserves

Prices at the gas pump.
(Image credit: Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The Biden administration on Thursday announced a plan to replenish the country's emergency oil reserves after President Biden promised to offset energy costs by releasing 180 million barrels over six months, CNN reports.

The administration will seek bids to buy 60 million barrels of crude oil from companies this coming fall, "the first step in a years-long" replenishment process, CNN writes. Officials want the plan to convey how serious they are about refilling the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the largest emergency supply of oil in the world.

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Oil reserves were already "sitting at 20-year lows, largely because of congressionally-mandated sales" that came before Biden's record-setting promise.

"As we are thoughtful and methodical in the decision to drawdown from our emergency reserve, we must be similarly strategic in replenishing the supply so that it stands ready to deliver on its mission to provide relief when needed most," said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

The White House also hopes its plan will bolster domestic oil production by "guaranteeing a source of future demand," CNN writes.

Brigid Kennedy

Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.