XPost: sci.geo.petroleum, alt.politics.republicans, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh   
   XPost: talk.politics.guns   
   From: liars@msnbc.com   
      
   The sale of the Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve is among the provisions   
   intended to raise funds in one of six bills setting out appropriations for   
   some federal departments this year after Congress narrowly avoided another   
   shutdown last week.   
      
   Under a bill providing funding for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for   
   the fiscal year, a million barrels of the government's strategic reserve   
   of petroleum would be sold off—the same amount as in the NGSR, which is   
   located in New York Harbor, Boston, Massachusetts and South Portland,   
   Maine.   
      
   "Upon the complete of such sale, the Secretary [of Energy] shall carry out   
   the closure of the Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve," the bill states,   
   and "may not establish any new regional petroleum product reserve unless   
   funding of the proposed regional petroleum product reserve is explicitly   
   requested in advance in an annual budget."   
      
   The proceeds of the sale are to be deposited into the Treasury's general   
   fund, and the proposed appropriations act provides stipulations for the   
   sale of the oil and the use of the money generated by it.   
      
   Congress is expected to pass the package, which is the result of cross-   
   party negotiations, with votes set to take place this week. Negotiations   
   on a further six spending bills continue.   
      
   Newsweek reached out to the DOE via email for comment on Monday.   
      
   House Speaker Mike Johnson threw his weight behind the bills, saying they   
   "secured key conservative policy victories." However, he could still face   
   a rebellion from conservative GOP representatives.   
      
   The speaker has struggled to get appropriation bills passed previously,   
   with the House Republican caucus beset with internal divisions. Some   
   conservative members have been critical of the bills and voted against the   
   short-term extension that avoided a government shutdown.   
      
   The Obama administration established the NGSR following the destruction   
   caused by Superstorm Sandy in 2012, which left many in the northeast   
   without gasoline.   
      
   While the reserve is intended to provide a short-term supply to the region   
   in the event of a similar natural disaster, in an October 2023 report, the   
   DOE noted that it had never been used, would provide "minimal relief to a   
   shortage condition," and cost around $16 million a year to maintain.   
      
   A May 2022 report by the Government Accountability Office found that the   
   DOE's reserves in the northeast were "not well suited to address the risks   
   of supply disruptions" in the region, with the NGSR containing less than   
   two days of consumption.   
      
   DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY   
   By comparison, the United States' total strategic reserves number over 360   
   million barrels.   
      
   Still, some have questioned shutting the reserve down. Zero Hedge, a far-   
   right libertarian financial blog that has promoted conspiracy theories and   
   climate denial, wrote on Sunday: "Is the government trying to cause   
   another disaster? This supply is so small but crucial for its intended   
   purpose that we're in 'just why?' territory."   
      
   Others argued that it would leave the region vulnerable to a supply   
   disruption from a cyberattack on a pipeline, as happened in the southeast   
   in 2021, and that the DOE had failed to produce an alternative for future   
   disasters.   
      
   Among the concessions achieved by Republicans was a stipulation that none   
   of the reserve's oil be sold to any entity deemed to be under the   
   ownership or influence of the Chinese Communist Party.   
      
   Overall, the package of appropriations would keep non-defense spending   
   relatively flat compared to last year—and $70 billion less than what   
   President Joe Biden had initially sought, according to analysis by the   
   Associated Press.   
      
   https://www.newsweek.com/us-sell-northeast-gasoline-supply-reserve-1875538   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)