Is the release of US oil reserves a planned cashing in of the chips?

a reply to: McGinty

IMO its simply offloading cheap gas at an expensive price in exchange for political points.


Feel free to correct, isnt the reserves only 9 days worth of oil for the nation?

a reply to: JinMI


The reserves , when full is approximately 700m barrels, it was intended as a buffer for future supply disruptions so that additional wells can be tapped in the U.S.

Releasing so much of the reserves without also turning on the tap is stupid and reckless, but democrats have complete control for another 9 months so nothing we can do about it right now.

a reply to: surfer_soul

Your post rings truth bells. At some stage, you might as well ditch the reserves, and wind it up.

originally posted by: PatriotGames4u

Releasing so much of the reserves without also turning on the tap is stupid and reckless, but democrats have complete control for another 9 months so nothing we can do about it right now.

Or might not turning on the taps reveal a foreseen decrease in the demand for oil? If so then what could cause a decrease in demand? Maybe environmental concerns? Maybe an alternative technology?

The perhaps justified view that the current US admin make a lot of mistakes doesn't necessarily mean that everything they do is a mistake. Maybe this is an attempt to win votes, maybe it's a cash-in, or god forbid a genuine attempt to do the right thing.

But as you've pointed out, they're not turning on taps to replenish the reserves. It's worth considering this a clue to something other than idiocy being afoot.

'Idiocy'... As the saying goes “The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist”. If that's true i'd add that the second greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he's an idiot in order to avoid closer scrutiny, as we dismiss his actions as pathetic.

It's often said here that he UK's Tory kleptocrats in power make so many gaffs, bad moves and mistakes because they're idiots. Yet these 'idiots' continue in power, avoid sufficient scrutiny, evade rule breaking that would've buried their predecessors all the while making their privileged chums lords and multi-millionaire thrice over with public money. Makes you wonder who the idiots really are!

Likewise all of Biden's 'mistakes' seem only to push Putin down this road to ruin. Imo that's been the plan and Biden saying dumb things off script like Putin needs to be removed is a in fact on script in that plan. I wish they weren't carrying out such a plan - it's unbelievably risky screwing with a someone like Putin and all his nukes. But i imagine that they think such mind games worked for Reagan so why not for Biden. So Biden plays the idiot, making dumb statements that increase Putin's paranoia - decreasing the chance that he'll back down - hoping this will be Putin's Vietnam and destroy his home support.

This 'idiot narrative' encourages the public to simply sigh, ''Meh, they're dummies", missing the true agenda of the gaffs.

...I'm drifting off of my own topic a little, but it's in order to make the point that labelling part of the Biden reserve oil strategy - not making the move to refill those reserves - as dumb might just be exactly what they want you to think.

Other presidents have done this. It lowers price for a short period of time in order to help his image with the people. It is a “look, I’m trying to help the people” maneuver.

a reply to: wdkirk


Nobody has done so at anywhere near the scale biden has, but yes, presidents usually care about gas prices once the polls suggest too many folks are getting upset about them.

a reply to: McGinty


There are no other technologies available to significantly reduce demand in the time available, but I strongly suspect biden won't have anything to say about it starting in January.

originally posted by: PatriotGames4u
a reply to: McGinty


There are no other technologies available to significantly reduce demand in the time available, but I strongly suspect biden won't have anything to say about it starting in January.

It certainly won't surprise me if that's exactly what happens - that you (and everyone else here) are correct that it's simply a populism move.

But if after the elections they're still shifting those reserves to suppliers without any action to replenish the stocks, then perhaps folk will consider other narratives.

a reply to: McGinty


Oh, I don't doubt that biden thinks he's emptying the reserves for good, I just don't think he'll have anything to say about anything after january, and we can hold out long enough for the adults to take over and turn on the tap.

One must remember that the SPR is a government project so it is rife with incompetence and corruption. First, none of the salt dome storage reservoirs were pressure tested, so how much oil leaked out is not known. Secondly, at least some of the "oil purchased" were tank bottoms that were 85% water and not oil. In short, if they try to withdraw too much the reality that it's not there will become apparent.