Gore's Elk Hills/Occidental Oil Scandal: Bigger Than Teapot Dome Michael SavageMonday, Sept. 25, 2000 Vice President Al Gore endorsed the sale of a government oil field in 1998, the largest sale of federal property in the history of the U.S. government. The Elk Hills Naval Petroleum Reserve, located near Bakersfield, California, was established in 1912 to help fuel Navy ships. President Clinton proposed the sale in 1995 saying the oil field no longer served a military purpose! The DOE (Energy Department) received a total of 22 bona fide offers but decided to sell this "crown jewel" of oil and ...