Washington, March 31: President Joe Biden is ordering the release of 1 million barrels of oil per day from the nation's strategic petroleum reserve for six months, the White House said Thursday, in a bid to control energy prices that have spiked as the US and allies imposed steep sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Biden was making the formal announcement later Thursday in remarks on his administration's plans to combat rising gas prices. Joe Biden Receives Second COVID-19 Booster Shot as US Launches Coronavirus Website.

The White House says Biden will also call on Congress to impose financial penalties on oil and gas companies that lease public lands but aren't producing energy.

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