ATA Officer Calls for Oil Release From SPR

WASHINGTON — The government should not only stop filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, but also consider releasing oil to help lower the price of diesel fuel, Dave Berry, chairman of the American Trucking Associations’ environmental and energy policy committee, told Congress last week.

In testimony April 24 here before a House Select committee, Berry said releasing oil could temporarily increase the supply of crude oil.

“This type of government intervention could drive speculators out of the market and help ensure that petroleum prices are once again driven by supply and demand,” Berry, who also is vice president of Swift Transportation, told the committee.