The Biden administration on March 31 unveiled a plan to release up to 1 million barrels of oil a day for six months from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, an unprecedented move designed to help ease soaring gas prices. All told, that means the government is prepared to release up to 180 million barrels of oil during that time period.
A viral Facebook post from April 3 claims the administration's plan will totally empty the reserve.
"By sucking the Strategic Oil Reserve dry we've lowered gas prices by $0.14," the post reads, alongside a photo of Biden. The post was shared over 900 times in a few days.
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Though the government's plan is indeed unprecedented, the planned release from the reserves doesn't mean the stockpile – which holds about 600 million barrels, according to the Department of Energy – will be anywhere near depleted. The drawdown is equal to about one-third of that total.
USA TODAY has reached out to the user who posted the claim.
The newest planned release, if no new oil is added to the stockpile during the six-month period, will see U.S. oil reserves drop by about 32%.
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