The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the nation's emergency crude oil stockpile, is facing growing operational challenges after years of large-scale emergency releases placed significant stress on aging infrastructure, according to a recent federal audit.
The reserve fell this week to its lowest level since March 1983. The federal government has withdrawn a total of 352 million barrels of crude oil over the past four years to respond to supply disruptions caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the U.S. conflict with Iran.
