Title page 1

Contents 3

Highlights 2

Letter 6

Background 9

Why the SPR Was Created 9

How the SPR Works 10

The SPR Met Increasingly Frequent and Large-Scale Drawdown Directives, but DOE Has Not Evaluated Lessons about Capability and Limitations 14

The SPR Has Been Used to Respond to Domestic and International Emergencies as Well as to Raise Funds 16

The SPR Successfully Met Increasingly Frequent and Large-Scale Drawdown Directives 17

Despite Completing Some Updates and Monitoring Risks, Aging Infrastructure Will Increasingly Limit the SPR's Capability 20

DOE Managed Periodic and Ongoing SPR Investments to Complete Some Life Extension Work and Triage Major Maintenance, but Investments... 20

DOE Continued to Monitor and Assess Risks to the SPR's Caverns, Wells, and Oil and Has Flagged Concerns About Well Condition and... 33

The SPR's Operational Capability Is at Risk 41

Congress and DOE Lack a Unified Long-Term Plan for the SPR 44

Conclusions 54

Matters for Congressional Consideration 56

Recommendations for Executive Action 57

Agency Comments 58

Appendix I. Comments from the Department of Energy 59

Appendix II. GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgements 62

Table 1. Life Extension Phase 2 (LE2) Project Status and Scope by Strategic Petroleum Reserve Site 23

Table 2. Operational Capability of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Sites 42

Figure 1. Strategic Petroleum Reserve Cavern, Well, and Piping Configuration 11

Figure 2. U.S. Crude Oil Held in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve 1985-2025 14

Figure 3. Strategic Petroleum Reserve Release Events 1985-2025 15

Figure 4. Leaking Raw Water Pipe Requiring Repair During 2022 Drawdown at the West Hackberry Strategic Petroleum Reserve Site 19

Figure 5. Life Extension Phase 2 (LE2) Project Work Quality Issues at the Bayou Choctaw Strategic Petroleum Reserve Site 25

Figure 6. Leaking Fire Suppression System at the West Hackberry Strategic Petroleum Reserve Site 32

Figure 7. Leaking Brine Disposal Pumps at the Big Hill Strategic Petroleum Reserve Site 33

Figure 8. Heat Exchangers at the Big Hill Strategic Petroleum Reserve Site 39