Oil is used for heating and transportation — most notably, as fuel for gas-powered vehicles. America’s dependence on foreign oil has declined in recent years, but oil prices have increased.
The Energy Department supports research and policy options to increase our domestic supply of oil while ensuring environmentally sustainable supplies domestically and abroad, and is investing in research, technology and processes to make oil drilling cleaner and more efficient — including enhanced oil recovery and improved offshore drilling practices.
Office of Petroleum Reserves
Mission and Vision
The mission of the Office of Petroleum Reserves (OPR) is to protect the United States from severe petroleum supply interruptions through the acquisition, storage, distribution, and management of emergency petroleum stocks, and to carry out the U.S. obligations under the International Energy Program. The OPR manages the operational readiness of three emergency stockpiles – the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), the United States’ crude oil stockpile; the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve (NEHHOR), a one million barrel stockpile of ultra-low sulfur distillate (diesel/heating oil); and the Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve (NGSR), a one million barrel supply of gasoline. In the event of a natural disaster or other national emergency, the United States can rely on these emergency stockpiles to maintain a constant supply of crude oil and other petroleum products.
OPR’s vision is to directly supports the Department of Energy’s goal of energy dominance by ensuring energy security for America.
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