Hurricane Ida may be long gone, but bitter memories of its torrid march through the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) and into the Lower 48 were slowing recovery efforts by the natural gas and oil industry.

Ida

Producers that work offshore were struggling to return crews to platforms and rigs on Friday. Extensive damage in Louisiana’s Houma and Port Fourchon, major staging areas for the offshore industry, were hindering the return of crews to platforms and rigs. Widespread power outages in the scorching heat also had cut off access to most fueling stations, as well as preventing processing facilities and major refineries from restarting. 

According to data compiled by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) as of midday Friday, 1.99 Bcf/d of natural...