The White House and the oil executives are sparing again.
Energy officials are pushing back against the administration's allowing Chevron to pump more oil in Venezuela. They're asking why it's okay to pump in foreign countries, but not in the United States or Canada.
“The industry has done everything they can to bring more product to the market. That’s largely coming from private lands,” Tim Stewart, president of the U.S. Oil and Gas Association, said. “We’re going to need federal assets brought online soon, and the administration is going to have to do something about it.”
The White House denies they are restricting domestic drilling, pointing to 9,000 unused permits for drilling on U.S. federal lands. However, Stewart says that's misleading, because of all the regulatory processes.