Newbie here; have never posted. Any comment from more experienced participants on the step mentioned below, or is this old news? From today's NY Times, passed along by a friend. Thanks...

http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/12/biztech/articles/17year.html (Energy Secretary)Richardson also said today that the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a half-billion barrel stockpile maintained by the federal government, might be used in case of a supply interruption.

He said he had already taken the legal step of advising the president to open the reserve, which must be done two weeks before using the oil. But he added that his recommendation was just a precaution.

"I don't want to move markets," Mr. Richardson said.

-- D. Torrey (davidt@drtmastering.com), December 17, 1999

Answers

Old news. Substance of it has been disected earlier by others. The last sentence gives the Spin away: he "doesn't want to move the markets" (prices UP.) He wants them to stay where they are! Concerted spin effort is underway to keep crude prices from increasing.

-- W (me@home.now), December 17, 1999.

Hi David, welcome to the forum! If you scroll down to the bottom of the new questions page, you will find the archives of previous posts, all in categories. There is a category called "Oil Refinery/Gas Pipeline/Related Industries". If you click on that, it will take you to the previous oil-related threads. If you do a "find" (on the edit button of your browser), and put in "strategic reserves" (without the quotes), it should help you locate more information about your question.

-- (RUOK@yesiam.com), December 17, 1999.

"I don't want to move markets," Mr. Richardson said.

What a total liar! Hey there Billy, why don't you fire some of the dorks working for you and hire me. I'm two steps ahead of those guys. I'd love to come and help you guys be a little more tactful and less transparant. You're telegraphing all your moves. It's pitiful really. Quite painful to watch. Shit, you're worse than the Vens! And that's pretty freaking bad!

David, this is nothing more than bad jawboning on Richardsons part. Failed foreign policies re:Iraq and China, and Russia and France have lead us to this sad state of affairs. Inflation is gonna kill their golden bubble and then everyone will be scared shitless about Y2K like they should be. Keep prepping dave, it could save your life.

Energy Secretary Says Oil Prices Too High (Reuters) Crude oil is too expensive but the Clinton Administration prefers to let the market take its course unless prices soar ``unacceptably'' higher, Energy Secretary Bill Richardson told Reuters on Wednesday. - Dec 08 9:06 PM EST

U.S. May Move To Cut Oil Prices (Associated Press) Energy Secretary Bill Richardson warned today the administration is prepared to act to drive down oil prices if they continue to rise, saying world prices are ``drifting into dangerously .. high levels.'' - Dec 09 1:47 PM EST

Friday December 17, 1:52 pm Eastern Time FOCUS-Oil off nine-year high as UN votes on Iraq Energy Secretary Bill Richardson said last week oil prices were dangerously high, and he was drawing up options for the White House to consider using to lower them.

-- Gordon (g_gecko_69@hotmail.com), December 17, 1999.

Oh boy, I can see it coming. Instead of tapping our Reserves now so they'll be refined when we need them, good ol' gubmint is gonna wait until shortages start, prices skyrocket, and there they are going to act like the frickin heroes coming to our rescue!

Yaaaaaay, the gubmint is gonna save us again! It's the old "problem-reaction-solution" scenario, and you can bet there will be strings attached.

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), December 17, 1999.

Wecome David -

Yes this issue has been discussed - the SPR's from what I understand are "dirty" in the sense that they will be difficult to refine... sitting around in caverns for years on end... not good...

all piss and wind from Richardson...

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), December 18, 1999.

Hi David. Welcome the forum!

Richardson doesn't know his left from his right. His comments are definitely spin.

Hang on...you ain't seen nothing yet!

-- Irving (irvingf@myremarq.com), December 18, 1999.

Thanks all for the gracious welcome. After lurking for a few weeks, I was still unaware that the step had been taken of formally "enabling" the release of the SPR.

"Oil Chat" spurred me into another round of preps. Technical reminder, in case anyone is considering a last-minute purchase: diesel generators run fine on home heating oil, which many folks already have stored in quantity. Ten bucks worth of parts from the hardware store gives you access to _many_ hours worth of fuel. .....DRT [Resume lurk mode]

-- D. Torrey (davidt@drtmastering.com), December 18, 1999.

Andy is right.

The SPR is stored in huge salt caverns. Salt - sodium chloride - is partially soluble in crude and as an impurity it wears out the cat cracker due to fluxing acceleration of chemical corrosion of cat cracker refractory linings. Salt cause more problems than it may be worth - that is unless it becomes the only viable source of crude.

From this forum's archives, some refineries are said to refuse crude feed stock containg salts.

If TSHTF, than nationalization may be necessary to 'persuade' the refinery to run the 'salted crude' but this could become a short term option due to the flux action of salt.

-- Bill P (porterwn@one.net), December 18, 1999.

Bill,

If your car uses the "salty" gasoline does it get more thirsty and get less miles per gallon? :-)

Doesn't sound like it will be very good for the engine!

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), December 18, 1999.

Hawk, Good One.

My understanding is that the refined product does not have the salt in it, but I'm not sure how it is removed - I think it has to do withthe distillation process so thatthe salt stays in the sludge left behind - could be real nasty for a diesel running Bunker C.

-- Bill P (porterwn@one.net), December 18, 1999.