SAFER Act of 2023

The SAFER Act of 2023 prohibits the sale of petroleum products from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to countries designated as "countries of particular concern for religious freedom" under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. It also requires state-owned entities bidding on SPR auctions to certify they have not purchased oil from countries subject to U.S. sanctions within 15 days of those sanctions taking effect. If a state-owned entity violates this certification, the Secretary of Energy cannot sell SPR products to them. The bill directly affects the U.S. Department of Energy (which manages SPR sales) and international state-owned energy companies participating in SPR auctions.