WASHINGTON, D.C.— On Thursday, President Biden announced steps his administration would take to help reduce pain at the pump for Americans.
At a press conference yesterday, the president said, “I’m authorizing the release of 1 million barrels per day for the next six months. Over 180 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.”
Officials say this will be the largest release of oil from the United States’ “strategic reserve” in history.
“This is a wartime bridge to increase oil supply until production ramps up later this year,” said Biden. “It will provide a historic amount of supply for a historic amount of time for a six-month bridge to the fall.”
Gas prices across the Buckeye State continue to remain high. According to AAA, the average price per gallon of gasoline in Ohio is $4.01.
“It’s getting rough out here,” said one local man. “When you have to travel often, the money you have to shell out for this high-priced gas starts to hurt your wallet.”
Businesses across the nation are also feeling the strain of rising fuel costs. Companies with fleet vehicles, as well as trucking and logistics companies, are being forced to make cutbacks.
According to globalpetrolprices.com, the price of diesel fuel in Ohio reached $5.09 on March 28. One local truck driver told the Guardian that it costs nearly $1,500 to fill up his semi.
Oil analyst, Stewart Glickman told the Associated Press that Biden’s oil release would bring short-term relief to prices.