Heinrich presses Energy Department on falling oil reserve levels

Sen. Martin Heinrich, a New Mexico Democrat who is the ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is pressing the Energy Department for records on the condition of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve after it fell to its lowest level in more than four decades.

In a letter to Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Heinrich asked the department to disclose what analysis it did before and after a large drawdown of the reserve this year. He wrote that repeated drawdowns can damage the underground salt caverns where the crude is stored.

"I am deeply concerned by reports that recent drawdowns of the SPR could damage the salt caverns that hold millions of barrels of America's emergency crude," Heinrich wrote.

The reserve was created by Congress in 1975 to cushion the country against sudden disruptions in petroleum supply. It is designed to hold close to 714 million barrels. According to Heinrich's office, it now sits at 283.8 million barrels, the lowest level since 1982, after President Trump authorized the release of 172 million barrels earlier this year. Heinrich's office tied that release to the conflict with Iran and said the reserve is expected to fall below 250 million barrels once the drawdown is finished.

Heinrich cited a June 2026 Government Accountability Office report that warned repeated partial drawdowns followed by refills can, in the report's words, leach a single part of a cavern repeatedly and lead to undesirable shapes. The same report, he said, found the reserve at risk of failing to protect against severe supply disruptions.

The letter asks the department to turn over a list of records by October 23. Among them: all analysis since January 2025 of how drawdowns affect the reserve's safety and structure, a list of major maintenance projects planned over the next decade, a copy of the contract with the new reserve operator, a list of all buyers and amounts sold from the reserve in 2026, and audits performed by the department's auditor.

Heinrich said he is also introducing legislation that would require long term planning for the reserve and limit non emergency sales. The Energy Department had not publicly responded to the letter as of its release.