US to Release Oil from Emergency Reserves

     The Obama administration announced Thursday that it is releasing 30 million barrels of oil from the United States’ emergency reserve to offset¹ production lost because of the fighting in Libya.  The U.S. oil will be about half of a 60 million barrel international release.

    The United States and the other member nations of the International Energy Agency, or IEA, are trying to head off a resurgence² in petroleum³ prices.

    White House officials say more than 140 million barrels of oil production have been lost since the fighting in Libya started earlier this year.

    Although oil prices have been falling in recent weeks, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters that the release of the reserve oil has been discussed for some time.  He said the disruption in oil supplies is as real today as it was several weeks ago.

    “This is a move by the IEA, which is a 28-member organization, in a coordinated⁴ way to address a sustained, significant disruption in our oil supply, caused by the events in Libya," said Carney.

    The president’s spokesman said the administration does not predict prices.  But President Barack Obama has been under political pressure because of higher gasoline prices and their effect on economic growth.

    Republican John Boehner, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, accused the president of using a national security instrument to address his domestic political problems.

    In a written statement Thursday, Boehner instead called for a national energy policy which involves increased oil production.

    Carney said the release of U.S. strategic oil reserves during the next 30 days is intended to increase market supplies as demand increases when Americans take their summer vacations.

    “What we are addressing is an impact caused by a supply disruption," he said. "At this time, it is necessary to do it because we are about to enter into the season when demand is at its highest.”

    Although the United States and the other 27 IEA countries reached the decision together, Democratic Representative Edward Markey said the release will protect the U.S. economy and put other oil producers on notice.

    “We are an oil-consuming nation," said Markey. "But with today’s announcement, we are sending a message to OPEC [Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries] and the oil-producing countries that we are not going to have our economy held hostage any longer.”

    The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve was established in the 1970s in response to the OPEC oil embargo⁵.  The reserve holds a record 727 million barrels of oil stored underground near the Gulf⁶ of Mexico coast.

    Officials say President Obama is open to releasing more oil from U.S. reserves, but that he has not decided⁷ to do so.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。

2 resurgence   

n.再起，复活，再现

参考例句：

• A resurgence of his grief swept over Nim.悲痛又涌上了尼姆的心头。
• Police say drugs traffickers are behind the resurgence of violence.警方说毒贩是暴力活动重新抬头的罪魁祸首。

3 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

4 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

5 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

6 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。