More than 10 years after the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion on the Gulf of Mexico, conservation groups continue to sound the alarm regarding its lasting effects.[i]
The BP-operated rig spilled an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil, killing marine life and damaging the Gulf coast from Louisiana to Florida.[ii] A complaint filed on October 21 by conservation groups alleges that the federal government has violated the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Administrative Procedure Act (APA).[iii] The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), a federal agency tasked with protecting marine resources, is accused of issuing “an arbitrary and capricious programmatic biological opinion governing federally authorized oil and gas activities.”[iv]
