Trump wants to sell U.S. oil reserves and drill in Alaska
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The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve is the world's largest and has about 688 million barrels of crude.
The oil is heavily guarded in underground facilities in Louisiana and Texas.
The reserve was started in 1975 after oil supplies were interrupted during the 1973–1974 embargo by Saudi Arabia and other OPEC countries, to mitigate future temporary supply disruptions.
According to Trump’s budget plan, the reserve will start to be sold from October 2018, which would generate $500 million, according to the documents.
The sales would rise to $3.9 billion in 2027, totaling about $16.6 billion from 2018 to 2027.
At the same time, the U.S. would boost its oil production, as Trump plans to raise $1.8 billion in the next ten years by drilling more in Alaska, the largest protected wilderness in the country, which is said to have vast oil reserves.
US crude production has surged about 10 percent since mid-2016 to 9.3 million barrels per day due to increased shale production.
However, politicians in the country have since the 1970s argued whether to open drilling in northeastern Alaska. Opponents say spills could hurt the environment.
The proposed changes in the budget are intended to return US economic growth to three percent. ■