US energy chief says oil reserve is a tool to meet short-term supply crunch

The US emergency oil reserve is a tool available to Washington to address unusual short-term mismatches between oil supply and demand, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said

The U.S. emergency oil reserve is a tool available to Washington to address unusual short-term mismatches between oil supply and demand as the Biden administration looks to move to less volatile energy sources, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told Reuters on Tuesday.

"It's good to know that it's available for these purposes," Granholm said in a wide ranging interview to be broadcast next week at Reuters Energy Transition North America 2021, a Reuters Events virtual conference where leaders will discuss the transition to clean energy.

President Joe Biden announced last week that the United States would release 50 million barrels of oil