Posted on 09/28/2023 1:14:57 PM PDT by Red Badger
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the Strategic Petroleum Reserve will not be replenished during Joe Biden’s current term.
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As China expands its reserves with low-cost oil from Russia, the Biden administration has allowed U.S. stocks in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to hit their lowest levels in decades.
The communist regime in Beijing is seen intent on stockpiling large amounts of crude oil in anticipation of a military move against Taiwan.
When the Biden administration took office in January 2021, the SPR contained more than 638 million barrels of oil. Currently, according to Energy Department statistics, the reserve holds about 347 million barrels.
The last time the U.S. reserve was that low was the early 1980s.
U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the Biden team has no plans to replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve anytime soon.
Granholm told CNN the United States has enough oil in the reserve to deal with any emergencies.
Retired Navy Capt. Jim Fanell, a former intelligence director for the Pacific Fleet, said the lack of oil reserves bears directly on the U.S. military’s ability to respond to any Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
Significantly, he said, the U.S. failure to refill the reserve also could undermine the U.S. ability to deter China from attacking Taiwan, according to a report by security correspondent Bill Gertz for the Washington Times.
“The decision by the Biden administration to tap into America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve for the short term gain of lowering gas prices is a strategic mistake when compared to our long-term national security requirements,” Capt. Fanell said. “Specifically, the depletion of the SPR could adversely impact the operations of the U.S. Pacific Fleet in the event of a [Chinese] invasion of Taiwan.”
Fuel shortages could result in delays of Navy forces responding to a Chinese attack. U.S. forces could also find themselves left stranded or forced to transit to areas that pose greater risk of PLA navy attacks, he said.
“Additionally, the lack of a fully stocked SPR sends a signal to our allies that we are not serious about our national defense interests in Asia,” Capt. Fanell said. “Worse, this message could contribute to Beijing’s decision-making to conduct just such an operation.”
Some of the oil from the SPR has been offered for sale, leading to fears American reserves could soon be filling Chinese reserve tanks. That prompted the Senate in July to pass an amendment to the fiscal 2024 defense authorization bill banning any strategic reserve oil from being sold to the nation’s adversaries.
“We know China has been amassing the largest stockpile of crude in the world,” Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, a sponsor of the legislation said. “Nevertheless, last year, the United States sold off part of our reserves to China.”
Cruz’s amendment will block the federal government from selling oil from the strategic petroleum reserve to China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea.
“We should not be selling our emergency oil reserves to our adversaries,” Cruz said.
thanks sen cruz
Giving away money, weapons, tanks, armillary and oil....what could go wrong there? It’s not like it would make us weaker as a country...
(Sarc-—and PISSED)
I’m not sure it’s a Biden policy; he’s not smart enough to know what a policy is. He’s being guided by people that do not care about protecting the USA.
Looted from the citizens.
Of course not, he doesn’t want to face the cost consequences of what he did. He’s just going to kick the can down the road for the next president.
These leftists are really crazy, stupid, and evil.
Have to pass a bill to prevent the administration from selling strategic oil reserves to our enemies? Sounds like grounds for treason to me. Somebody needs to take a dirt nap. I wonder what the traitors will do for ‘24 since they sold the oil for ‘22?
Another solid sign that FJB has checked out for the duration of his term in office.
With gas prices around $6.00 a gallon we could not afford to refill it now anyway. China know this because they paid Biden to ensure their advantage.
By election day 2024 the pumps in the SPR tanks are going to sound like my straw trying to suck out the last drops of a milkshake at the bottom of the glass. Slurp, slurp, sluuuuuuurp. Nothing.
Not a matter of policy or smart people or even Leftists.
Through its bribes, the CCP owns FJB.
It is as simple as that.
U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the Biden team has no plans to replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve anytime soon.
All the evidence one needs to prove Biden is not sane and China will have all they need to make EV’s that you will buy comrades.
Biden’s replacing the SPR with an extra large Chinese battery. Problem solved.
Manchurian Candidate Barack Hussein Obama is here to cripple the United States of America.
You are witnessing his third term.
Yet more proof
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