Lead Ed­i­tor–News­gath­er­ing

For­mer en­er­gy min­is­ter Stu­art Young says the Gov­ern­ment’s rhetoric to­wards Venezuela in re­cent months will in­flu­ence ne­go­ti­a­tions for the Drag­on gas deal.

Young’s com­ment came a day af­ter it was an­nounced that Unit­ed States Sec­re­tary of State Mar­co Ru­bio sup­port­ed the ap­proval of the rel­e­vant Of­fice of For­eign As­sets Con­trol (OFAC) li­cences to be­gin dis­cus­sions on de­vel­op­ing cross-bor­der hy­dro­car­bons. Ru­bio’s de­ci­sion came af­ter a meet­ing with Prime Min­is­ter Kam­la Per­sad-Bisses­sar in Wash­ing­ton, DC.