Oil and Gas Lookahead 2026 | WP Intelligence Briefing

Video Description

The U.S. oil and gas industry has headed into 2026 with clearer signals from Washington — and unresolved constraints on building. The Department of the Interior is moving forward with an expanded offshore leasing program, including potential lease sales off California for the first time since the 1980s, as well as new leasing areas off Florida. At the same time, pressure is mounting in Congress to revisit permitting and infrastructure rules that have slowed energy projects for years. Those debates are no longer theoretical. Gas shortages in the Northeast have renewed calls for new pipelines. Congress is preparing to revisit pipeline safety rules that govern how projects are approved and built. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) policy is also shifting, with proposed changes that could affect future export capacity and U.S. supply to global markets. In this live briefing, Kathryn Clay, WP Intelligence’s lead energy and climate analyst, and Kevin Book, co-founder and director of research at ClearView Energy Partners, discussed the practicability of new offshore oil and gas leasing as proposed in the Trump administration’s draft 11th National Outer Continental Shelf leasing program, pipeline safety reauthorization, the state of permitting and permitting reform — and how all these efforts could affect energy markets. The briefing was moderated by Luiza Savage, editorial director of WP Intelligence. Related Intelligence Reports: • 2026 Oil and Gas Lookahead: A bold growth agenda faces hurdles by Kathryn Clay and Kendrick Frankel — https://wpintelligence.washingtonpost.com/topics/2026/01/29/2026-oil-gas-lookahead-bold-growth-agenda-faces-hurdles/ • The missing pieces in Venezuela’s oil revival by Kathryn Clay — https://wpintelligence.washingtonpost.com/topics/2026/01/15/missing-pieces-venezuelas-oil-revival/