NewsDialy
America's emergency oil stockpile is being drawn down so fast that it is approaching a point where the underground caverns holding the crude could sustain physical damage.
That stockpile is the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the federal government's buffer against supply disruptions, and experts warn the rapid pace of withdrawal now puts the storage infrastructure itself at risk.
What the reserve is, and why the cavern warning matters The Strategic Petroleum Reserve was created to give the United States a supply of crude oil it can release during shortages or supply shocks.
The oil is held underground in a series of caverns. When oil is needed, the government draws it out of those caverns and releases it to the market.
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