US: Will Fill SPR To 727 Million Bbl Cap When In National Interest

The U.S. government will fill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to its 727-million barrel capacity when it determines it to be “in the national interest” to do so, the Department of Energy said Friday.

The SPR, the’s world’s largest national emergency oil stockpile, will reach its target of 700 million barrels in August.

Some DOE officals advocated filling the reserve to its 727-million barrel capacity, but given the prevailing high crude price, it may prove politically difficult for President George W. Bush to authorize such a move.
DowJones Newswires