Can US political deadlock benefit oil and gas?
Potential two-year gridlock in Congress following the mid-term elections may be a good thing for the domestic oil and gas industry
The oil and gas industry generally endorses the logic contained in a quote often attributed to US President Thomas Jefferson: "The government which governs least governs best". On 6 November, the country's voters, by creating a once-again divided federal government, also signaled their endorsement of it, at least for the next two years. For the most part, a divided government is the best kind of federal regime as far as the upstream industry is concerned. This is an industry that places a high degree of importance on regulatory and statutory certainty, and a divided government tends to result in a slower pace of change in these areas. The unified, Republican-controlled government of the past
Also in this section
9 January 2026
OPEC+ remains on track as output falls, with only Gabon failing to hit its output targets in December, although Kazakhstan’s compliance was involuntary
9 January 2026
The Latin American producer’s crude prospects rely on a multi-pronged approach where even the relatively easy wins will take considerable time, effort and cost
9 January 2026
While many forecasters are reasserting the importance of oil and gas, petrostates should be under no illusion things are changing, and faster than they might think
8 January 2026
Indonesia and Malaysia are at the dawn of breathtaking digital capabilities. Their energy infrastructure must keep up with their ambitions






