Status of Strategic Petroleum Reserve Activities as of September 30, 1985

In response to a congressional request, GAO reported on the Department of Energy's (DOE) progress in filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) during the last quarter of fiscal year (FY) 1985.

GAO found that, because the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 1985 disapproved a proposed deferral of about $270.7 million for SPR construction and about $290 million of the $827 million deferral in the SPR oil account, funds will be available in FY 1986 for the continued development of SPR facilities and for oil purchases of approximately 11 million barrels. In addition, GAO found that, during the last quarter of FY 1985: (1) DOE added 12.7 million barrels of oil, bringing the total amount of oil in the SPR to 489.3 million barrels; (2) the oil fill rate averaged about 138,000 barrels per day, while averaging 159,400 barrels per day during the rest of FY 1985; (3) DOE made payments of $364 million for oil acquisition and transportation, had unpaid obligations of about $289 million, and had $697 million in unobligated funds; and (4) the storage capacity development program proceeded without any major problems.