Energy Security and Strategic Petroleum Reserve

The embargo by the OPEC nations during the winter of 1973–74 caused the United States substantial losses in Gross National Product. In 1975, Congress authorized the establishment of a Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). Underground salt domes were chosen due to lower development costs, the capability to withdraw oil at high flow rates, and the maximum security they provided. The Texas‐Louisiana Gulf Coast was selected because of the large concentration of salt domes, proximity to major U.S. refineries, and access to major U.S. oil distribution facilities. In the case of an emergency, SPR oil can be fed directly to Gulf Coast refineries or sent by pipeline to refineries in the interior of the country. Storage was created by converting an existing “room and pillar” salt mine, use of existing caverns, and by leaching out new caverns. Importation of crude oil has currently decreased by half from its peak as the volume of crude oil in the SPR increases and the United States moves closer to energy independence.