"We Are Refilling The Reserve Now": Energy Secretary Wright Confirms SPR Refill After Biden's Reckless Drain The effort to refill America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve, depleted under President Biden in 2022, is progressing slowly under the Trump administration, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a CNBC interview this week. "We are refilling the reserve now, and we will continue to refill the reserve the whole time I'm in office," Wright stated, warning it could take years. He criticized Biden’s decision to release oil from the SPR as "such an irresponsible action to drain that reserve so quickly for electoral reasons." The Biden administration authorized a historic sale of 180 million barrels over six months to fight surging gasoline prices and inflation, and in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to Newsmax.