By 13 October 2026 the US Department of Energy petroleum reserves news page carried no statement giving the amount lent under the 29 September offer; the 10 October release covers only a separate 4m-barrel hurricane exchange.
History. 5 of 6 cases. In June 2026 the department put out no statement; Reuters reported the result later that month.
Hunch. The one time the department stayed silent was June, when companies took almost nothing, and the same offer could find few takers again (Reuters, 29 Sep 2026).
Resolves on the US Department of Energy petroleum reserves news page, checked on 14 October 2026 at 10:00 UK time: YES if a department statement dated 6 to 13 October 2026 gives the amount lent under the 29 September offer, any amount including zero. A media report without a department statement, or nothing by 13 October, resolves NO.
We looked for cases where the US government offered to lend a set amount of oil from its emergency reserve, set a date for bids, and let the companies' bids decide how much went out. We counted only offers made together with other countries. We found six, one in 2021 and five this year. Companies took more than half of what was offered in four. They never took all of it.