Proposed Legislation for Refined Fuel Stockpile
Senator John Curtis has put forward a new bill aimed at establishing a dedicated stockpile of refined fuels, including gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, to be located west of the Rocky Mountains.
The Utah Republican stated that the proposed legislation, known as the Western Refined Fuel Reserve Act, is designed to “protect Western communities, military readiness, and regional economies from fuel shortages during emergencies.”
“Families, first responders, farmers, truckers, and small businesses across the West depend on reliable access to refined fuels every day,” Curtis remarked. “Currently, our emergency tools are outdated for Western realities. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve stores crude oil — not the fuels people actually use — and delays in refining and transporting fuel can lead to significant hardships. This bill aims to close that gap and enhance our region’s resilience.”
The existing Strategic Petroleum Reserve is recognized as the world’s largest supply of emergency crude oil by the Department of Energy. It was established primarily to mitigate disruptions in petroleum product supplies.
Curtis argues that relying solely on crude oil reserves creates vulnerabilities during emergencies due to time constraints and transportation bottlenecks.
With declining regional refining capacity and geological risks such as earthquakes, he believes this legislation addresses specific energy security gaps affecting the Western United States.
The current reserve can store up to 714 million barrels of crude oil. The new legislation would allow for an additional 10 million barrels of refined petroleum products: at least 5 million barrels of gasoline, 3 million barrels of diesel, and 2 million barrels of jet fuel.
The government would be mandated to maintain at least 75% capacity for each type of product during the first five years following implementation.
The refined fuels could be withdrawn in response to emergencies or supply disruptions among other reasons.
In light of relatively low oil prices, the Department of Energy announced plans in October to purchase 1 million barrels of crude oil for its existing reserve as part of efforts to replenish its stockpile.
As reported on December 5th, nearly 412 million barrels of crude oil are currently held in reserve—an increase of about 3 million since late October.
The Trump administration had been focused on replenishing this reserve; President Trump’s tax and spending bill included approximately $171 million allocated for oil purchases and maintenance.
If enacted into law, annual reports detailing operations and recommendations would need to be submitted to Congress. These reports would include specifics about storage capacities and mechanisms supporting fuel storage.
If approved by Congress, the Department of Energy would have six months to establish the Western Refined Fuel Storage Reserve.
