US oil reserves are so low, the caverns holding them could be damaged

America's Strategic Petroleum Reserve has dropped to its lowest level in 40 years due to ongoing withdrawals, prompting experts to warn that the crude stored in underground salt caverns could face permanent structural damage. Petroleum engineers note that repeated rapid extraction weakens the salt pillars separating caverns and thins their roofs, increasing the risk of cave-ins, while the reserve was designed to handle only five full drawdowns over its lifetime but has undergone dozens of cycles. The current inventory is expected to fall to approximately 243 million barrels, approaching levels where structural integrity and pumping capabilities become critically compromised.