The Trump administration will continue to process permits for oil and gas permits deemed “necessary” during the government shutdown, according to the Department of Interior’s (DOI) contingency plan. While the Biden administration cracked down on offshore oil and gas leasing, enacted a last-minute drilling ban across millions of acres and greenlit a record-low leasing schedule, the Trump administration has moved to reopen federal lands and waters for energy development. “Permitting activities such as Oil and Gas, Transmission and related Rights-of-way, where fees collected for processing activities are available for use, personnel will be classified as ‘Exempt. '”The DOI has noted that they will not give preferential treatment to wind and solar projects that the Biden administration favored. “The number of new oil and gas lease sales simply speak for themselves.”The DOI did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.