Stop adding to oil reserve, senators urge

Four U.S. senators asked the Energy Department to suspend temporarily oil shipments to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in light of recent record oil prices and tight supplies.

In a letter to Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman, the senators said continuing deliveries to the emergency stockpile would make the supply situation worse and increase crude and petroleum product prices.

“The department should not be taking oil off the market and adding to pressures on supplies when consumers are struggling to heat their homes and fill their gas tanks,” said Republican Susan Collins of Maine.

The other lawmakers who signed the letter were Democrat Carl Levin of Michigan, Independent Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Republican Norm Coleman of Minnesota.