US President Donald Trump has ordered several furloughed employees of Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to come back to work in an effort to push for expanded oil and gas drilling permits despite the government’s partial shutdown.
Due to the continued shutdown, some 800,000 government employees are not working or not being paid. More than 420,000 employees have been forced to work anyway.
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The recall comes as the agency is processing drilling permits and taking some other measures to make sure that the shutdown does not put an end to oil and gas development on federal lands, as well as waters.
New legislation signed by Trump is expected to provide backpay to government employees once the shutdown concludes.
Bloomberg reported that the Interior Department is now clearing the path for workers who were laid off earlier, to help sell drilling rights in US coastal waters.
Eleven workers are being temporarily called back to prepare documents that are required for auctions of the Gulf of Mexico expected in March and August this year.
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By GlobalDataDuring the shutdown period, approximately 40 drilling staff are available on an on-call basis to help process permits authorising seismic tests for oil searches in the Atlantic Ocean.
Objecting drilling permit work during the shutdown, the House Natural Resources Committee chair Raul Grijalva sent a letter to acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt urging to stop ongoing work on upcoming offshore lease sales, seismic permits and a five-year drilling plan.
