An Evaluation Of The Strategic Petroleum Reserve

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Energy's (DOE) plan for selling oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to analyze: (1) the plan's potential effects on world oil prices; (2) the issues affecting who would get SPR oil under this plan; and (3) how the plan compares with alternative sales mechanisms. GAO found that the plan's market approach would probably limit oil price increases in a severe supply disruption and allow broad participation in the sale. However, there were potential problems identified with oil distribution under the plan. DOE, in taking a market approach to the distribution, plans to award SPR sales contracts to the highest bidders who would be considered eligible buyers. This would allow any foreign country to buy the oil and does not limit the amount that a single buyer could purchase at a given sale. GAO also examined alternative sales methods of interest to Congress, including: (1) the continuous sale of options to buy SPR oil in advance of an oil emergency; and (2) allocation of SPR oil at government-set prices. Most industry representatives opposed the sale of SPR options because of their concerns about the length of time during which options could be exercised and who should be eligible to buy the options. GAO found that uncompetitive allocation of SPR oil would entail administrative difficulties that would undermine its intended benefits since it would be difficult to develop criteria for fair distribution.

Under the authority of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975, the Department of Energy (DOE) maintains and operates the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). In the event of an energy emergency, the President would initiate a drawdown of the Reserve to counter the harmful economic effects of a severe shortage in oil supplies. To prepare better for an emergency, DOE has conducted several exercises to test the Reserve's administrative and operational systems. In 1984, DOE planned a test drawdown and sale of SPR oil. This exercise would, for the first time, have involved the sale of a small amount of SPR oil to the highest bidders, and would have tested simultaneously the operation of all SPR subsystems. This Note lays the groundwork for the evaluation of such a test.

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) helps protect the U.S. economy from oil supply disruptions and currently holds 700 million barrels of crude oil. The Energy Policy Act directed the DoE to increase the SPR storage capacity from 727 million barrels to 1 million barrels. Since 1999, oil for the SPR has been obtained through the royalty-in-kind program, whereby the gov¿t. receives oil instead of cash for payment of royalties on leases of fed. property. The Minerals Mgmt. Service collects the royalty oil and transfers it to DoE, which then trades it for oil for the SPR. This testimony focuses on: (1) factors for DoE to consider when filling the SPR; and (2) the cost-effectiveness of using oil received through the royalty-in-kind program to fill the SPR.