# No Emergency Crude Oil for Foreign Adversaries Act

This bill prevents the U.S. government from selling crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to countries that are considered foreign adversaries of the United States. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is a massive emergency stockpile of oil that the government maintains for national security purposes—think of it as America's backup fuel tank that's supposed to be tapped only during genuine crises like wars or major supply disruptions.

The core issue the bill addresses is straightforward: it stops the government from using emergency oil reserves to do business with hostile nations. Currently, there are no explicit legal restrictions preventing this, which means in theory, the U.S. could sell emergency oil supplies to countries like Russia, China, Iran, or North Korea if a president decided to do so. This bill closes that loophole by requiring the government to define which countries count as "foreign adversaries" and then prohibiting any sales of reserve oil to those nations. The bill essentially says that emergency supplies meant to protect American security shouldn't be used to strengthen the economies of countries working against U.S. interests.

For most Americans, this won't directly change their daily lives, but it does affect energy policy and national security strategy. It could matter if oil prices spike during a crisis—by restricting who can buy from the reserve, the bill ensures that emergency supplies stay available for domestic use or sales to allied nations rather than potentially going to adversaries. It also sends a message about using economic tools like energy sales as part of foreign policy. The bill is relatively narrow in scope, affecting only emergency oil sales to hostile nations, not regular oil market operations or normal trade relationships.

No Emergency Crude Oil for Foreign Adversaries Act

Cruz, Ted

No Emergency Crude Oil for Foreign Adversaries Act This bill prohibits exports of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to require as a condition of any sale of crude oil from the SPR that the oil not be exported to such countries. However, DOE may issue a waiver of the prohibition if the sale of crude oil is in the national security interests of the United States. In addition, DOE must report on (1) the route to destination and place of refinement of all crude oil sold at auction from the SPR since November 23, 2021, and (2) the ownership of the refinement facilities at which such crude oil was refined.