Oil Reserve: DOE's Management of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve

In response to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Energy's (DOE) management and policies regarding the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to determine: (1) its response to management and operations improvement recommendations; (2) the seriousness of pipeline erosion and corrosion problems; (3) possible damage to SPR oil from salt-tolerant bacterial contamination; (4) decommissioning plans for the Sulphur Mines, Louisiana, oil storage site; (5) SPR oil distribution and filling plans; and (6) the adequacy of the SPR security system.