Given that the nation’s news media are focused about 23 out of every 24 hours each day on breathless reports about the “shutdown” of some small percentage of the federal government, some of you may be wondering how this “shutdown” is going to impact the oil and gas industry.
The short answer to that question is, “not much.” A longer and more detailed answer follows.
Upstream operating companies are going to continue to drill and frac and produce oil and natural gas from their wells, just as if nothing has happened in the nation’s capital. All of their people are going to keep having to show up for work on each and every business day. This will disappoint some of them, but most will be pretty happy about continuing to receive their paychecks.
