Lower than two years into his presidency, President Biden has launched extra oil from the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve than all earlier presidents mixed. Up to now, Mr. Biden has allowed over 200 million barrels to be withdrawn—greater than 30% of the entire reserve he inherited, supposed for use in case of pressing want. The SPR is at its lowest stage since 1984, when U.S. oil consumption was significantly much less and the reserve was initially being stocked. Mr. Biden’s fast depletion of the SPR is a national-security danger.
Even earlier than Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Mr. Biden had been aggressively tapping the SPR. There have been solely three earlier emergency releases: 17.3 million barrels throughout Operation Desert Storm in 1991, 20.8 million barrels following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and 30.6 million barrels following navy intervention in Libya in 2011.
