The Trump administration will continue to urge Congress to appropriate $3 billion to fill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve with US crudes after lawmakers removed the plan from a coronavirus relief package, the Department of Energy said Thursday. Receive daily email alerts, subscriber notes & personalize your experience. Register Now DOE formally withdrew a solicitation to buy 30 million barrels of medium and heavy crudes a day after Republican leaders of the Senate agreed to take the measure out of stimulus legislation as part of a deal with Democrats to break an impasse. The solicitation was the first step in seeking 77 million barrels to fill the stockpile, but those plans are now on hold. “President [Donald] Trump’s directive to buy oil at a competitive price for the SPR is a common-sense move benefiting taxpayers and supporting our nation’s economic and national security interest,” said DOE spokeswoman Shaylyn […]