EPA Drops Appeal of Judge’s Order to Update Oil Spill Response

A California federal court’s decision that the EPA must issue a timely update its oil spill response plan will stand after the agency moved to drop its appeal in the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday.

Environmental groups sued the Environmental Protection Agency over its failure to update its National Contingency Plan for more than 25 years. The agency’s current plan relies on chemical dispersants to break up oil that are harmful to human health and the environment, the groups told the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

The agency’s failure to update the plan in light of new ...