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US to close Northeast gas reserve with 1 million-barrel sale

President Joe Biden's administration will offer almost 1 million barrels of gasoline in the U.S.-managed stockpile in northeastern states as required by law, the Department of Energy said on Tuesday, efficiently closing the near decade-old reserve.

The department produced the Northeast Gas Supply Reserve in 2014 after Superstorm Sandy left motorists scrambling for fuel. But keeping refined fuel is more expensive than storing crude oil, so closing the reserve was included in U.S funding legislation signed in March by Biden, a Democrat.

Quotes are due on May 28 and the Treasury Department's basic funds gets profits from the sale, the department stated.

The volumes will be designated in amounts of 100,000 barrels with each barrel including 42 gallons, the department stated. The fuel should stream into regional retailers ahead of the 4th of July vacation, it stated.

While the sale was mandated by bipartisan legislation, both the Biden administration and Republican governmental candidate Donald Trump tried to score points from it.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm stated the Department of Energy had actually timed the sale to coincide with the runup to peak summer season driving need.

By tactically releasing this reserve in between Memorial Day and July 4th, we are ensuring enough supply streams to the ... northeast at a time hardworking Americans need it the most, Granholm stated in a release.

U.S. fuel costs have actually succumbed to four weeks in a row to $3.58 a gallon in the middle of abundant products but stay about a. nickel above year-ago levels, according to the Energy. Info Administration.

Trump said Biden was using the reserve to push down retail. fuel costs for political factors.

Therefore he's attempting to stop that because high gasoline. rates are not good for elections, Trump stated outside the New. York courtroom where his hush-money trial is occurring.

U.S. gas prices are about 30% cheaper now than in June. 2022 when they hit a record above $5.00 a gallon. Prices have. fallen as U.S. petroleum output has struck a record under Biden.

Trump stated Biden was selling the gas, due to the fact that he's. unable to drill correctly.

The energy department will be offering into a well-supplied. market, where pump costs fell for the 4th straight week on. Monday despite the run up to the Memorial Day weekend that kicks. off the summer driving season.

Higher refinery output and weak fuel need this year have. helped relieve a few of the supply restraints that U.S. customers. have faced because the pandemic.

Fuel inventories along the U.S. East Coast stood at 55.5. million barrels, 6% higher year-on-year, but around 8% below the. historical average for this time of the year.

The companies buying the fuel, likely retailers and fuel. terminals, will have the fuel transferred or provided no later on. than June 30, it stated. Some 900,000 barrels will be offered from. the reserve's Port Reading, New Jersey, site, and almost 99,000. barrels from the South Portland, Maine, website.

Once the reserve is closed, the energy secretary can not. develop any new local petroleum product reserve unless. funding is asked for in advance of an annual spending plan submitted by. the president and approved by Congress.

Bob McNally, president of consultancy Rapidan Energy, stated. unlike the Strategic Petroleum Reserve that holds numerous. countless barrels of crude oil, the gas reserve was too. tiny to offer much energy security and will not be missed out on..