Rapid SPR Drawdown Sparks Alarm Over Salt Cavern Integrity
The Strategic Petroleum Reserve has fallen below 300 million barrels as 172 million barrels are drawn to address disruptions from the Iran war, prompting warnings from experts and the GAO that repeated drawdowns could deform salt caverns and compromise long-term emergency response. DOE says caverns remain stable, but analysts warn the practical floor is about 250–300 million barrels, with current plans placing the SPR around 243 million after the drawdown, raising concerns about hurricane risk and outages that could further reduce available inventory.