Hurricane hit oil storage site, but no shortages expected

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette says Hurricane Laura did significant damage at a site holding about 30% of the nation’s store of emergency crude oil.

But Brouillette said Wednesday that the three other sites were not damaged and have plenty of oil in case of an emergency.

The damaged site is in West Hackberry, Louisiana, where Strategic Petroleum Reserve caverns hold nearly 8.2 billion gallons of crude oil in 21 huge caverns deep underground.

Brouillette also says that although refineries in Lake Charles are still shut down, there’s no shortage of gasoline, jet fuel and other products.

He spoke at a livestreamed news conference with Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards.

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