In April 2022, The White House celebrated The Biden administration’s sale of the first 30 million barrels of what would eventually be 180 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) was what at the time seemed like an unprecedented election year move.
In May, Department of Energy Similarly, the planned liquidation of 1 million barrels from the NGSR, the Perth Amboy-to-Boston group of the SPR, aimed at lowering gas prices over the summer, was celebrated.
Fox News Digital took a closer look at the data to see whether administration critics have any basis for claims that Biden is misusing U.S. oil reserves in an unprecedented election year, or whether he is helping Americans travel.
The findings showed that the most extensive decline in the SPR was seen during Biden’s tenure, and that he, and former Presidents Trump and Clinton, saw the largest historical drops in reserves.
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In the case of 2022, the White House announcement partly blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin and his invasion of Ukraine for supply disruptions that sent oil prices soaring, as Siberia was no longer permitted as a source of US fuel.
However, Republicans, including former President Trump, blamed Biden for canceling transcontinental pipeline projects and taking executive actions that hit energy production in Alaska and elsewhere, causing gas prices to rise from about $2 a gallon during the previous administration.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said this year’s sales are proof that the administration is “absolutely focused” on cutting consumer costs, especially ahead of the summer travel season.
“By strategically releasing this reserve between Memorial Day and July 4, we are ensuring adequate supplies flow throughout the tri-state and the Northeast at a time when hard-working Americans need it most,” Granholm said in a statement.
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Data uncovered by Fox News showed that while the SPR gained momentum during Carter’s tenure – it was established as an energy security measure following the 1973 oil crisis – it had mostly fizzled out during Biden’s tenure.
After the 1980 election, the SPR hit 112.5 million barrels in January 1981 and by the end of President Ronald Reagan’s term, it had risen to nearly 450 million barrels in January 1989. By 2023, the SPR has a maximum capacity of 714 million barrels.
Both Presidents Bush increased the SPR’s capacity – George H.W. Bush added 13.8 million barrels, while his son – who announced a full-blown effort to increase the stockpile after 9/11 – added a net 162 million barrels by January 2009.
21 million barrels of oil were lost during Operation Desert Storm, and 11 million barrels were used after Hurricane Katrina, which destroyed coastal oil refineries.
Every president since, as well as Clinton’s, has seen reserves depleted.
The Arkansas Democrat sees a net reduction of 33.7 million barrels, while the Trump administration sees a shortfall of nearly 57 million barrels.
Biden has more than quadrupled that figure from January 2021 through March, with a net reduction of 274 million barrels — not including any sales from the administration’s May announcement.
President Obama also oversaw a reduction of nearly 9 million barrels in the SPR during his tenure.
The Fox News analysis found that releases of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve via presidential order — such as during Desert Storm and after Katrina — have been rare, and have only occurred under “emergency spill” scenarios.
A 2022 Congressional Research Service report, following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, claimed that such reductions in SPR reserves are acceptable and should not always be viewed as politically motivated.
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Congress is also sometimes allowed to mandate the sale of oil reserves to finance legislative priorities.
But this time around, congressional Republicans have taken aim at Biden, accusing him of playing politics with America’s energy security in an election year.
Wyoming Senator John Barrasso And Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers — who are the top Republicans on their respective energy committees — accused Biden of doing the same in a scathing letter to Granholm:
“Under President Biden, the SPR has fallen to its lowest level since 1983. DOE has overseen the largest sales in history, totaling 290 million barrels. When President Biden took office in January 2021, the SPR contained 638 million barrels of oil,” he said.
“Today, the SPR currently contains 367 million barrels of oil, representing a decline of approximately 42 percent from when President Biden took office.”
The lawmakers called Biden’s release in 2022 “a transparent attempt to influence the midterm elections and distract attention from the Biden administration’s energy policy failures.”
In an apparent effort to prevent politicization, McMorris-Rodgers wrote the Strategic Production Response Act, which would limit cuts to the SPR as long as Congress provided oversight, while banning cuts for “non-emergency purposes.” The bill passed the House.
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When Trump attempted to do the opposite and fill the SPR while oil prices were at a low of $24 a barrel, Democrats blocked him.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., celebrated the block at the time, claiming that removing the provision from the bill “ended a $3 billion bailout for Big Oil.”
However, the White House opposed the McMorris-Rodgers bill, claiming it would “significantly weaken a vital energy security tool.”
“The use of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve by this administration is essential to protecting our energy security and lowering gas prices for Americans,” the White House said in 2023.
The Energy Department and the White House did not respond to requests for further comment for this story.
Fox News’ Mark Bentley contributed to this report,
