Some oil from reserve to be soldWASHINGTON — The government is preparing to sell $500 million worth of crude oil the U.S. has stockpiled for emergencies because of problems with the integrity of one of the underground caverns where it is stored.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu defended the plan Wednesday amid concerns the sale of crude from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve would leave the U.S. more vulnerable to disruptions in the supply of Mideast oil.
Chu said it was better for the government to cash in on the crude rather than risk it seeping out of a salt dome cavern in southeast Louisiana or chance an overflow of oil as it is moved to other brimming storage sites. >>>
Congress has authorized the Energy Department to spend $33.5 million for a replacement, and officials are buying a privately owned cavern - also in the Bayou Choctaw salt dome - with a 10-million-barrel capacity.
The government's plan to sell the oil from the strategic reserve was part of President Barack Obama's budget plan for the 2012 fiscal year that begins in October. Obama delivered that budget blueprint to Congress on Monday, and the Senate energy panel was studying it Wednesday.
-------------------------------------------------
As someone has aptly put it: "When not out golfing, vacationing or shooting hoops, the First Usurper passes the time thinking 'What new way can I damage the USA today?' "