Gulf Emission Standards Ruled Lawful as Oil Lease Sales Grow

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management lawfully scrapped more stringent emission standards for oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico, a federal court ruled.

The agency properly interpreted the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act in 2020 when officials declined to adopt a regulatory overhaul proposed under the Obama administration, the US District Court for the District of Columbia ruled Monday.

BOEM is limited to governing only offshore emissions that “significantly affect the air quality of any state,” according to the summary judgment.

Judge Trevor N. McFadden rejected claims brought by plaintiffs including Healthy Gulf and the Center for ...