Trump Moves to Refill Oil Reserve After Biden’s Controversial Release
Oklahoma lawmakers who blasted President Joe Biden for draining the Strategic Petroleum Reserve may finally see a reversal. The Trump administration announced plans this week to buy one million barrels of oil to help refill the reserve.
Oklahoma Senators Criticized Biden’s Energy Strategy
When Biden released 180 million barrels from the SPR in 2022, it triggered outrage across Oklahoma. His goal was to lower gas prices after Russia invaded Ukraine, but the move cut the nation’s emergency stockpile nearly in half.
In 2023, Oklahoma U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin wrote the White House demanding the administration rethink its decision. He said Biden’s actions showed he had “forgotten the reason for the creation of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.” Mullin called the president’s energy policies “historic failures.”
Sen. James Lankford also joined then-Sen. Jim Inhofe to introduce the No Emergency Crude Oil for Foreign Adversaries Act. Their bill aimed to stop American emergency oil from being sold to China and other rivals.
Lawmakers Wanted Energy Independence
“While Oklahomans are forced by this Administration’s bad policies to pay more for gas and diesel, Biden continues to block U.S. energy production,” Lankford said.
“Now he’s outrageously selling our emergency oil supplies from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to nations like China. This is absolutely unacceptable,” he added.
Lankford argued that Oklahoma families needed relief through stronger domestic production — not sales of national reserves.
“We should help American families afford gas and groceries by increasing domestic production, rather than handing over our emergency reserves to bad-actor nations,” he said.
Trump’s Plan to Rebuild Energy Security
Energy Secretary Chris Wright confirmed Trump’s plan to restore the reserve, which stores oil in hollowed-out salt caverns along the Texas and Louisiana coasts. “While this process won’t be complete overnight, these actions are an important step in strengthening our energy security and reversing the costly and irresponsible energy policies of the last administration,” Wright said.
The SPR currently holds about 409 million barrels, well below its 700-million-barrel capacity. Trump’s $171 million allocation for new oil purchases marks the first step in rebuilding national reserves. The administration may request additional legislation to expand funding for the effort.
Oklahoma’s Energy Leaders See a Turning Point
With oil prices hovering near five-month lows, the timing could favor taxpayers. Both Brent and West Texas Intermediate prices dipped early this week amid rising U.S. production and OPEC supply increases.
For Oklahoma’s oil-driven economy, Trump’s decision signals renewed confidence in domestic energy production and stronger national reserves — something state lawmakers have pushed for since Biden’s first SPR drawdown.