This week EPA released the newest version of its environmental justice (EJ) screening and mapping tool, EJScreen 2.3. EJScreen is a mapping tool that combines environmental and socioeconomic data and is used to screen for potentially overburdened communities that may be affected by federal government programs and activities.
Continue Reading EPA Releases New Version of EJScreen
On July 1, 2024, the United States Supreme Court extended the deadline for challenging agency actions under the Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”), holding that the statute of limitations period does not begin to run “until the plaintiff is injured by final agency action.”
Continue Reading SCOTUS Stretches Statute of Limitations for Challenging Agency Actions Under APA
On Friday, June 28, 2024, the United States Supreme Court overturned the Chevron doctrine in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, 603 U.S. __ (2024), ushering in a new era of judicial review of agency action.
Continue Reading SCOTUS Dials Back Chevron Deference in Loper Bright Opinion
On June 17, 2024, the States of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, and four oil and gas trade associations sued the Department of Interior (“DOI”) and its Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (“BOEM”) in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, State of Louisiana, et al. v. Haaland, et al., No. 2:2024-cv-00820, challenging BOEM’s new final rule entitled Risk Management and Financial Assurance for OCS Lease and Grant Obligations, 89 Fed. Reg. 31544 (Apr. 24, 2024) (the “Final Rule”).
Continue Reading Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi Band Together to Stop BOEM’s New $6.9B Financial Assurance Rule
On May 21, 2024, a group of 20 states, including Louisiana and Texas, filed an action in North Dakota district court challenging the Council on Environmental Quality’s (“CEQ”) finalized amendments to its National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”) regulations, arguing that the rule seeks expanded environmental review without statutory authority.
Continue Reading Louisiana and Texas Challenge CEQ’s Finalized NEPA Amendments
On April 15, 2024, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (“BOEM”) released a prepublication of its highly anticipated final rule revising financial assurance requirements for oil, gas, and sulfur operations on the federal outer continental shelf (“OCS”).
Continue Reading BOEM’s New Financial Assurance Requirements for Federal Oil & Gas Leases, ROWs, and RUEs
On February 9, 2024, the Department of the Interior (DOI) published its semi-annual regulatory agenda, which includes two new planned rulemakings affecting federal offshore leases.
Continue Reading DOI Regulatory Agenda Includes BSEE Rulemakings on Decommissioning and Bonding for Civil Penalty Appeals
The 2nd Annual Tulane Offshore Wind Conference capped off Louisiana Offshore Wind Week on Friday, January 19th. The conference included panels of offshore wind energy professionals discussing topics including leasing, permitting, financing, and the supply chain for US offshore wind energy.
Continue Reading Tulane Offshore Wind Conference Highlights Next Steps in GOM Offshore Wind Development
On December 29, 2023, the USCG issued Maritime Safety Information Bulletin (MSIB) 13-2023, Change 1, an updated version of MSIB 13-23, adding a Frequently Asked Questions section to the document addressing compliance with the Safer Seas Act which was passed in December of 2022.
Continue Reading USCG Updates Guidance on Safer Seas Act Compliance, Continuing to Show Strict Interpretation and Enforcement of Its Requirements
On October 30, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana found that the rule established by the U.S. Supreme Court in Robins Dry Dock & Repair Co. v. Flint applied to the case at hand, barring claimants from recovering economic damages for deferred oil production.
Continue Reading Corporate Protection Pipeline: Court Denies Economic Damages Based on Robins Dry Dock