The unfortunate government shutdown marches on and lawmakers are warning it risks derailing a potential permitting deal as the space and time for collaboration narrows.

However, not all government work is coming to a halt. The Department of Interior has announced it will continue to process oil and gas permits and leases, as well as coal energy leases, during the shutdown.

In non-shutdown news – in fact quite the opposite -- Duke Energy announced it plans to keep open three North Carolina coal power plants past their original retirement dates.

Duke says these extensions "reflect rising electricity demand across the Carolinas at an unprecedented pace."

And US nuclear utilities face possible uranium shortages over the next decade, according to a new warning from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The U.S. uranium supply gap is expected to widen over the next decade to a combined 184 million pounds — equivalent to more than three years of consumption. More than 90% of the uranium consumed by US reactors last year was sourced internationally. The Trump administration says reshoring the nuclear fuel supply chain is a priority.