Regulatory – Oil & Gas 360

API praises House approval of bipartisan permitting reform bills

December 12, 2025

(World Oil) – WASHINGTON — The American Petroleum Institute (API) is welcoming the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of two bipartisan bills aimed at overhauling the federal permitting process for energy and infrastructure projects. The legislation includes the Improving Interagency Coordination for Pipeline Reviews Act (H.R. 3668) and the Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today (PERMIT) Act (H.R. 3898). Both measures are designed to

Shadow fleet on edge after U.S. seizes tanker in Venezuelan waters

December 11, 2025

(Oil Price) – The United States has seized a large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, marking a major escalation in tensions between Washington and Caracas. President Trump confirmed the operation, saying, “We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized actually”. He then went on to warn that “other things are happening

Chevron in talks with Trump team over Venezuela oil operations, sanctions

December 10, 2025

(World Oil) – Chevron Corp. is in discussions with the Trump administration about remaining in compliance with sanctions in Venezuela, emphasizing the benefits to the U.S. of the company’s continued presence, Chief Executive Officer Mike Wirth said. The CEO said he doesn’t know what President Donald Trump’s intentions are in the south Caribbean, where a US military build-up has prompted speculation

Permitting bottlenecks threaten energy security, NPC tells U.S. Department of Energy

December 4, 2025

(World Oil) – The National Petroleum Council (NPC) has released the first two reports in its Future Energy Systems series, outlining a suite of reforms aimed at strengthening U.S. energy reliability as electricity demand accelerates. The reports—requested by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright—call for streamlined permitting, clearer accountability frameworks, and improved coordination between natural gas and electric market regulators. NPC Chair

Council and Parliament strike a deal on rules to phase out Russian gas imports for an energy secure and independent Europe

December 4, 2025

(Council of the EU) – Today, the Council presidency and the European Parliament’s representatives reached a provisional agreement on the regulation to phase out imports of Russian natural gas. The regulation constitutes a central element of the EU’s REPowerEU roadmap to end dependency on Russian energy following Russia’s weaponisation of gas supplies with significant effects on the European energy market. The regulation introduces a

NextDecade begins pre-filing process to expand Rio Grande LNG project

November 24, 2025

(BOE Report) – NextDecade Corp said on Monday it has started the U.S. regulatory pre-filing process to add a sixth liquefaction unit and an extra marine berth at its Rio Grande liquefied natural gas project in Texas, with a full application expected in 2026. The U.S. LNG sector has been rapidly expanding after President Donald Trump lifted the moratorium on

Trump administration restructures DOE, dropping clean-energy offices in favor of hydrocarbons

November 21, 2025

(World Oil)– The Trump administration is eliminating Energy Department offices focused on clean energy and renewables and, instead, creating units dedicated to hydrocarbons and fusion energy. The changes are part of an agency reorganization unveiled Thursday. The plan made no mention of staffing reductions as part of the realignment, and the agency didn’t immediately respond to a request for

Trump finalizes rollback of Arctic drilling restrictions

November 14, 2025

(World Oil) – The Trump administration rescinded restrictions on oil drilling in Alaska’s mammoth state petroleum reserve, reversing a move by former President Joe Biden that put limits on an area holding an estimated 8.7 billion barrels. The policy reversal finalized Thursday applies to a 2024 rule that banned drilling on nearly half of the 23 million-acre National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska,

Oil industry gains ground in California regulatory battle

August 29, 2025

(Oil Price) – In a rare win for the oil and gas industry in California, the state’s regulators are expected to delay the enforcement of a cap of refinery profits, Bloomberg reports, citing sources with knowledge of the plans. The California regulator, the California Energy Commission, plans to vote on Friday a five-year delay to the so-called refinery profit cap, passed in

U.S. Interior Dept. sets offshore leasing schedule under Trump’s OBBBA

August 21, 2025

(World Oil) – The U.S. Interior Department on Tuesday released its offshore leasing schedule under Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, garnering support from several energy sector agencies. “A predictable leasing schedule means more American energy, more American jobs, and stronger U.S. security,” said Energy Workforce President Tim Tarpley. “Offshore development doesn’t just power the Gulf, it powers the entire nation. Every single state

Republicans move to cut U.S. funding for IEA

July 24, 2025

(Oil Price)– A House committee has approved a bill that the U.S. withdraw its funding to the International Energy Agency as the Republican lawmakers consider that the IEA has strayed from its mission to safeguard energy security and has been pushing green energy policies instead. The House Appropriation Committee said in a report this week that the IEA “has strayed from its

U.S.-China talks could shift to sanctioned oil, says Treasury Secretary

July 22, 2025

(World Oil)– U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the next round of U.S.-China talks could include a discussion of China’s purchases of Russian and Iranian oil, a signal that the focus could shift from more traditional trade issues to ones that cross over into matters of national security. “Trade is in a good place,” Bessent said on CNBC, referring

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