Over 133 million barrels were lent rather than sold to companies required to return the same volume, with repayment premiums reaching 28%. The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve slipped to 298.7 million barrels in the week reported Aug. 10, 2026, down 6.1 million barrels in one week and the first time the stockpile has held below 300 million barrels since January 1983. 298.7 million barrels is still a substantial physical stockpile, just one at a 43-year low. Against authorized storage capacity of 714 million barrels, the SPR sits roughly 42% full. It remains above the statutory minimum of 252.4 million barrels under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, and the Department of Energy said in July that only about 70 million barrels is the real safe-operating floor.