CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — The partial shutdown of the federal government has been holding up permits for new oil and gas drilling and mining operations on federal land.

Companies are used to waiting more than a year to get federal drilling and mining permits. Adding several days to that wait has yet to cause widespread alarm in the extraction industry.

But industry officials say the shutdown exacerbates what's already a slow process.

Last year, the Petroleum Association of Wyoming raised $100,000 that helped the U.S. Bureau of Land Management hire workers to speed up permitting in the state. Association officials say that isn't really a viable option during the shutdown.

The Associated Press reports other effects in Wyoming could include the possible postponement of an upcoming federal oil and gas lease sale.

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