oil industry

The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve has dropped to its lowest level since 1982, according to an energy industry report drawing wide attention. The drawdown followed large releases of emergency crude oil intended to cool fuel prices. Commenters are debating whether the reserve can be refilled cheaply and whether the drawdown has left the country exposed to future supply shocks or price spikes.

A new report examines how elite universities have become entangled with politics and the petroleum industry, looking at funding ties and political influence surrounding fossil fuels on campus. The piece traces how university endowments, research money and institutional relationships with oil interests have drawn criticism amid debates over climate responsibility and divestment.

Renewable fuel industry groups are lobbying Congress to allow year-round sales of E15, a gasoline blend containing 15% ethanol. Current rules restrict the higher-ethanol blend in summer months over air quality concerns, and the industry wants a permanent legislative fix rather than repeated emergency waivers. The push sets up a debate with oil refiners and some environmental groups over fuel policy.