The oil industry is bracing for Democrats to use their newfound political muscle to push for a deal with President Donald Trump and impose a windfall tax on surging crude prices.

President Donald Trump will face a Congress solidly under Democratic control in January and that could lead to two years of grinding policy gridlock peppered with acrimonious investigations and impeachment.

House lawmakers say they’ll probe the president’s moves to buy out wind leases, exempt oil drillers from environmental laws and hollow out key government agencies.

The Trump administration awarded contracts for nearly 41 million barrels from the nation’s emergency oil reserve, completing a massive oil exchange aimed at curbing soaring energy prices after the war with Iran.

House and Senate Democrats vowing to probe President Donald Trump’s deal to import Russian diesel to the US are asking banks and ports to preserve records related to issue, saying they anticipate further Congressional oversight.

The Trump administration wants to reconsider an approval for a wind farm proposed off the Massachusetts coast by Avangrid Inc., threatening to stoke more uncertainty for a deal to reform the US system of permitting big energy projects.

The Trump administration is tapping an emergency reserve of diesel set aside to heat homes in the Northeast as fuel prices are surging weeks before the midterm elections.

The Trump administration is authorizing the sale of sanctioned oil tankers in an effort to allow the vessels to start legitimately shipping crude, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said.

An adviser to former President Joe Biden said the Iran war is a significant vulnerability for Republicans and cast doubt on the political logic of escalating the conflict before the midterm elections.

US President Donald Trump’s order allowing truckers to burn diesel normally reserved for tractors and trawlers won’t do much to immediately lower fuel prices, analysts said.

The Senate reached a bipartisan deal this week, but there’s no guarantee lawmakers will finish the job.

Trump administration officials have floated a range of measures to curb soaring diesel costs, from suspending taxes on the fuel to removing restrictions on sales of a dyed, red variety normally reserved for off-road use.

Senate Democrats secured expedited approvals for high-voltage transmission lines needed for renewable-energy projects as part of a broader deal to overhaul infrastructure permitting.

A vote on long-sought legislation to speed permits for major energy and infrastructure projects is unlikely to happen before the election, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a top Democratic negotiator, said Thursday.

ExxonMobil Holdings Corp. held talks this week with Venezuela’s government about re-entering the country as the Texas oil giant explores whether to follow US rivals back into the home of the world’s largest reserves.

Billionaire shale pioneer Harold Hamm’s Continental Resources Inc. is set to announce a deal to invest in Venezuela as the Trump administration pushes US companies to revive the nation’s oil sector, according to a person familiar with the matter.

One of President Donald Trump’s top energy chiefs said a US ban on fuel exports or crude wouldn’t bring down pump prices.

A critical Saudi oil pipeline should be back online “soon” following it’s closure late last week after coming under attack, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Monday.

President Donald Trump and top Republicans made several concrete policy promises during their Dallas midterm convention, but they all face massive headwinds in Congress even if the GOP retains control of both chambers.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said it’s unclear whether congressional approval would be needed to fulfill President Donald Trump’s pledge to provide $5,000 dividend payments to Americans if Republicans sweep the midterm elections.