Need To Minimize Risks of Using Salt Caverns for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve

The Energy Policy and Conservation Act requires the Federal Energy Administration (FEA) to create a strategic petroleum reserve to protect against interruptions in energy and petroleum product supplies. Oil for the reserve will be stored in caverns within salt domes and in salt and limestone mines. FEA identified nine potential sites--four salt domes, three salt mines, and two limestone mines--with capacities totalling 402 million barrels. Three of the four salt domes have been acquired through condemnation.