Petroleum Association of Wyoming Urges Continuation of Oil and Natural Gas Permitting During Government Shutdown

The Petroleum Association of Wyoming (PAW) is urging the Biden Administration to ensure the uninterrupted flow of necessary permits for oil and natural gas production in the event of a government shutdown.

This appeal, wrote PAW in a statement, comes on behalf of the thousands employed within the industry in Wyoming, the hundreds of thousands of Wyoming residents who depend on its vitality, and the millions of Americans concerned about escalating fuel prices.

PAW reasons that Wyoming's natural oil and gas industry (from exploration and production to processing, transportation, and business services) have contributed more than $2.7billion in tax revenues to the state of Wyoming – including $1.3 billion directly to Wyoming’s K-12 education system.

“As the second largest source of revenue to the federal government, after the IRS, the federal mineral program can fully fund its staffing and operation costs,” said PAW President Pete Obermueller. “Permitting successfully continued during the 2019 shutdown and any attempt to shutter the program now would be nothing more than Washington political theater that would harm Wyoming communities.”

The Association argues that Wyoming, the second-highest producer of crude oil on federal lands in the nation, plays a pivotal role in ensuring the United States maintains an adequate supply thereof.

"This is especially crucial given the challenges posed by foreign cartels and the effects of supply shortages in the global oil market. With rising fuel costs for transportation, home heating, and cooking, largely attributed to limited global supply and U.S. government policies, it is imperative that domestic crude oil production remains unimpeded, even during periods of political gridlock resulting in government shutdowns" wrote PAW in a letter to the Interior Secreatry and BLM Director.

See PAW’s letter to Interior Secretary Haaland and BLM Director Stone-Manning here.