Inspectioneering
News

API Asks for Relief from Certain Regulations Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Reuters, March 23, 2020
Reuters

The American Petroleum Institute has asked U.S. President Donald Trump for help suspending certain regulatory requirements on the oil and gas industry to ensure steady fuel supplies during the coronavirus outbreak, according to a letter it sent to Trump and seen by Reuters.

The oil and gas industry is part of a long list of businesses seeking help to counter the impact of the global pandemic, which has infected more than 250,000 people worldwide, decimated travel, and forced massive disruptions in daily life around the world.

The API lobby group said in the letter, dated Friday, it was mainly concerned that coronavirus would leave it with limited numbers of healthy staff to run critical operations.

The oil and natural gas industry, like other critical infrastructure sectors, is working tirelessly to ensure there is no interruption in our supply chains as a result of this pandemic,” according to the letter, signed by API President Michael Sommers.

It added, “We will be requesting assistance in temporarily waiving non-essential compliance obligations from the relevant agencies and departments within your Administration and/or their state counterparts, and may include recordkeeping, training or other non-safety critical requirements.”

The API said the regulatory relief could include things like waivers for seasonal fuel requirements, a suspension of non-essential inspections and audits, and certain leasing and permitting considerations.

A White House official did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Oil prices have slumped as a result of the coronavirus and a price war between major global producers Saudi Arabia and Russia, threatening the profitability of the once booming U.S. drilling business.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Richard Valdmanis, Chris Reese and Diane Craft)

Click here to read the full article from Reuters.

Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Comments and Discussion

There are no comments yet.

Add a Comment

Please log in or register to participate in comments and discussions.


Inspectioneering Journal

Explore over 20 years of articles written by our team of subject matter experts.

Company Directory

Find relevant products, services, and technologies.

Training Solutions

Improve your skills in key mechanical integrity subjects.

Case Studies

Learn from the experience of others in the industry.

Integripedia

Inspectioneering's index of mechanical integrity topics – built by you.

Industry News

Stay up-to-date with the latest inspection and asset integrity management news.

Blog

Read short articles and insights authored by industry experts.

Expert Interviews

Inspectioneering's archive of interviews with industry subject matter experts.

Event Calendar

Find upcoming conferences, training sessions, online events, and more.

Downloads

Downloadable eBooks, Asset Intelligence Reports, checklists, white papers, and more.

Videos & Webinars

Watch educational and informative videos directly related to your profession.

Acronyms

Commonly used asset integrity management and inspection acronyms.