David Bernhardt meets API CEO Jack Gerard in undisclosed meeting

Visitor logs reveal Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Interior David Bernhardt met with American Petroleum Institute (API) CEO Jack Gerard and API lobbyist Carrie Domnitch in an undisclosed meeting on September 22, 2017. Deputy Secretary Bernhardt's calendar shows a scheduled "Meeting to Discuss Energy Issues" but does not mention attendees outside of the DOI.

Visitor logs show David Bernhardt's name was used to sign in Jack Gerard and API lobbyist Carrie Domnitch on September 22, just before the scheduled Energy Issues meeting.

Prior to his nomination to the DOI David Bernhardt was a lawyer and lobbyist serving the oil and gas industry. According to his ethics agreement he must recuse himself from matters involving his former clients, including API members Halliburton Energy Services and Noble Energy.

While no records on the substance of this meeting have been released by the Department of the Interior, the delay and replacement of BLM's Venting and Flaring rule was a topic of particular interest to API at the time. Suing to prevent implementation of Venting and Flaring rule was a top priority for the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA), an oil and gas lobbying organization that Bernhardt worked for through 2016.

David Bernhardt's Ethics Agreement:

This post was updated on February 10, 2019. It previously stated David Bernhardt personally signed in API lobbyists, but it is possible Bernhardt's name was signed by someone else.