McMorris Rodgers cites concerns over ‘unprecedented drawdown’ of nation’s oil reserves

U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) joined a Republican colleague in chastising the Biden administration’s “unprecedented drawdown” of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) that they say has depleted the national security asset to its lowest level since 1984.

With more than 245 million barrels of oil sold since President Joe Biden’s first day in office, Rep. McMorris Rodgers and U.S. Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) say the drawdown has occurred as gas prices remain high and supply chain shortages continue to plague the nation’s economy. 

“Instead of unleashing American energy production, you have depleted our strategic stockpile while failing to establish long-term plans for the optimal size, configuration, maintenance, and operational capabilities of the reserve,” wrote the congresswoman and her colleague in a Nov. 28 letter they sent to U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

The lawmakers also noted that the rapid depletion of the SPR may have caused damage to the SPR’s pipelines and caverns, compromising its ability to meet its energy security mission in the event of a true energy supply interruption, according to their letter.

“Each drawdown has the potential to degrade the SPR’s storage and distribution capabilities as pressurization, corrosion, and consequences of repeated use erode the SPR’s physical integrity,” wrote Rep. McMorris Rodgers, ranking member of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Sen. Barrasso, ranking member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. 

The committee leaders requested Granholm answer several questions and provide them with documentation by Dec. 12 regarding all damages and increased maintenance requirements resulting from the recent drawdowns.

“President Biden’s unprecedented and unwarranted drawdowns, and the administration’s overt crusade against the oil and gas industry, undermines the country’s energy security and, by extension, its national security,” Rep. McMorris Rodgers and her colleague wrote. “Your continued mismanagement of the SPR will leave our nation even more susceptible to true energy supply disruptions and leave us vulnerable to our greatest geopolitical adversaries.”