The filling of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to a total of 1 billion barrels was mandated by an act of Congress in 2005.

The average fill rate for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) over the past year has been about 1.6 million barrels a month. Not per day, per month.

This is about 1 percent of the U.S. domestic monthly oil production rate, and far less of our consumption rate.

It is also only about 8 percent of the LOWEST estimated production rate from ANWR. Just saying.

The average price at which the Reserve has been filled is about $28.40

Again, this issue will not have a measurable effect on gas prices, and if it did, the same people pushing this idea need to explain why they keep telling us ANWR's production of oil would not.

Good luck on the "true strategic reserve" concept. It takes many years to bring new fields into full production, particularly when the exploration hasn't even been done yet. When we get to the point where we are in such deep shit that the lunatics will finally allow us to set foot on the continental shelf, it's going to be way too late. See also: serious nuclear power development.

We are constantly told ANWR is useless because it would take ten years to bring ANWR online. The Democrats killed ANWR over 13 years ago and have kept it dead since then. Just saying.

I would also implement a program of exploration to locate new sources of domestic crude, but I would not turn its discoveries over to the oil companies so they could turn around and sell it all to the highest bidder.

Just curious: What entity would you have funding this exploration, and with what equipment, and who WOULD you turn the oil over to?