Energy Industry Manages to Survive Shutdown Unscathed

According to statistics from the Department of Energy, the U.S. is on track to be a net energy exporter in 2020–the first time this has happened in more than 70 years. However, the recent government shutdown didn’t help, and its lingering effects could potentially slow energy development in the near future. During the shutdown, the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) focused on maintaining the staff needed to keep energy production steady. This despite the fact that 7,000 of the agency’s 9,000 total employees are considered “non-essential” and were sent home. “Despite the government shutdown, the natural gas and oil industry continues to support safe and responsible operations to ensure that affordable and reliable energy reaches U.S. consumers,” said Sabrina Fang, a senior communications associate for the American Petroleum Institute, in an email to InsideSources. “To be clear, there isn’t a single regulation by government agencies (EPA, BSEE, BLM, USCG, PHMSA, etc.) that doesn’t continue to remain in effect regardless of a shutdown. Our industry continues to maintain compliance with all environmental regulations,” she continued. During the shutdown, the BLM and other agencies continued to maintain skeleton crews to provide the energy industry with needed oversight...MORE