Status of Strategic Petroleum Reserve Activities--April 1981
EMD-81-85: Published: May 4, 1981. Publicly Released: May 8, 1981.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
Contact:
The fifth in a series of status reports on the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) requested by Congress is based on the GAO review of the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Defense Fuel Supply Center (DFSC) program documents and publications and studies related to the program.
The fifth round of contracts by the DOE oil purchasing agent has been completed under the January 1981 open continuous solicitation. DFSC has contracted for about 39 million barrels of oil to be delivered to SPR during this fiscal year. These contracts bring the total oil acquired for SPR for fiscal year 1981 to about 75 million barrels. As of April 20, 1981, about 130 million barrels of oil were stored in caverns and other SPR facilities. DOE has transferred the remaining unobligated SPR oil funds to DFSC. On April 24, 1981, SPR oil purchase was suspended for 30 days, so that DOE could take advantage of the expected decline in market prices of the types of crude oil offered to SPR. DOE recently revised its schedule for the Sulpher Mines storage facility. The facility will be brought on line in phases, with 11.5 million barrels of capacity becoming available during July and another 13.1 million barrels becoming available during August 1981. A potential storage capacity problem has emerged at the DOE Weeks Island salt mine. Pressure building up from gases in the mine now limits the amount of oil that can be stored. DOE officials believe that they can provide a temporary solution to the pressure buildup in putting a temporary flaring system in place by May 15, 1981. However, if this cannot be done before the 20 million barrel level is reached, the gases will be vented before allowing the pressure to build up and damage the mine's seals.
Nov 19, 2020
Nuclear Waste Disposal:
Better Planning Needed to Avoid Potential Disruptions at Waste Isolation Pilot PlantGAO-21-48: Published: Nov 19, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 19, 2020.
Oct 29, 2020
-
Nuclear Safety:
DOE and the Safety Board Should Collaborate to Develop a Written Agreement to Enhance OversightGAO-21-141: Published: Oct 29, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 29, 2020.
Oct 15, 2020
-
Nuclear Weapons:
NNSA Plans to Modernize Critical Depleted Uranium Capabilities and Improve Program ManagementGAO-21-16: Published: Oct 15, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 15, 2020.
Jul 24, 2020
-
Nuclear Weapons:
Action Needed to Address the W80-4 Warhead Program's Schedule ConstraintsGAO-20-409: Published: Jul 24, 2020. Publicly Released: Jul 24, 2020.
Jun 24, 2020
-
National Nuclear Security Administration:
Analyzing Cost Savings Program Could Result in Wider Use and Additional Contractor EfficienciesGAO-20-451: Published: Jun 24, 2020. Publicly Released: Jun 24, 2020.
Jun 9, 2020
-
Nuclear Weapons:
NNSA Needs to Incorporate Additional Management Controls Over Its Microelectronics ActivitiesGAO-20-357: Published: Jun 9, 2020. Publicly Released: Jun 9, 2020.
May 13, 2020
-
Environmental Liabilities:
DOE Needs to Better Plan for Post-Cleanup Challenges Facing SitesGAO-20-373: Published: May 13, 2020. Publicly Released: May 13, 2020.
May 12, 2020
-
Hanford Waste Treatment Plant:
DOE Is Pursuing Pretreatment Alternatives, but Its Strategy Is Unclear While Costs Continue to RiseGAO-20-363: Published: May 12, 2020. Publicly Released: May 12, 2020.
Apr 29, 2020
-
Priority Open Recommendations:
Department of EnergyGAO-20-285PR: Published: Apr 22, 2020. Publicly Released: Apr 29, 2020.
Apr 17, 2020
-
Priority Open Recommendations:
Nuclear Regulatory CommissionGAO-20-286PR: Published: Apr 10, 2020. Publicly Released: Apr 17, 2020.
Looking for more? Browse all our products here
Explore our Key Issues on Energy
- Air Quality
- Climate Change Funding and Management
- Climate Change Response
- Department of Energy's Contract Management for the National Nuclear Security Administration and Office of Environmental Management - High Risk Issue
- Economic Sanctions
- Electricity Markets, Grid Security and Resilience
- Energy Management in DOD Facilities
- Hardrock Mining on Federal Lands
- Improving Federal Programs that Serve Tribes and Their Members - High Risk Issue
- Limiting the Federal Government's Fiscal Exposure by Better Managing Climate Change Risks - High Risk Issue
- Management of Federal Oil and Gas Resources - High Risk Issue
- Managing Federal Lands and Waters
- Nuclear Energy
- Nuclear Nonproliferation
- Nuclear Waste Disposal
- Nuclear Weapons and Forces Sustainment and Modernization
- Oil, Natural Gas, and Alternative Fuels
- Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Tribal and Native American Issues
- Understanding Climate Change
- U.S. Arctic Interests
Explore our other Key Issues here
