Trump, Venezuelan Oil and the SPR: Its not quite adding up…

Trump is of course a liar about using Venezuelan heavy crude oil to refill the SPR.

The SPR has strict quality requirements such as a maximum of 1.99% sulfur content. Venezuelan oil is 5.7% sulfur, which is considered insanely "sour." It also happens to be highly acidic which…

— HealthRanger (@HealthRanger) August 31, 2026

Trump is of course a liar about using Venezuelan heavy crude oil to refill the SPR.

The SPR has strict quality requirements such as a maximum of 1.99% sulfur content. Venezuelan oil is 5.7% sulfur, which is considered insanely “sour.” It also happens to be highly acidic which would eat away at the storage cave walls, likely causing cave-ins and collapse.

There are other requirements, too, such as API gravity. Venezuelan oil doesn’t qualify. If you pour it in, you can never get it back out. Too sludgy. It basically just becomes a giant “tar cave” of sludge that’s unpumpable.

So once again, Trump is lying about the whole thing. There’s much more to this story, too, such as the fact that the 65 billion barrels of oil can’t possibly be tapped without at least A FULL DECADE of infrastructure investment in Venezuela, and at least $100 billion in investment funds, plus you have to find all the experts around the world who know how to do these things and somehow entice them to move to what is effectively a war zone where local resistance groups will be targeting them constantly.

So nope, your gas prices aren’t going to get any better tomorrow. It’s all just smoke and mirrors. As usual.

By NC ScoutPublished On: August 31, 2026Categories: Uncategorized0 Comments

About the Author: NC Scout

NC Scout is the nom de guerre of a former Infantry Scout and Sergeant in one of the Army’s best Reconnaissance Units. He has combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He teaches a series of courses focusing on small unit skills rarely if ever taught anywhere else in the prepping and survival field, including his RTO Course which focuses on small unit communications. In his free time he is an avid hunter, bushcrafter, writer, long range shooter, prepper, amateur radio operator and Libertarian activist. He can be contacted at [email protected] or via his blog at brushbeater.wordpress.com .