Center for Biological Diversity v. Haaland

In a lawsuit filed in the federal district court for the Central District of California, Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) sought to bar the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) from authorizing new oil and gas drilling activities at the Beta Unit on the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf off Huntington Beach until BOEM reviews and revises development and production plans (DPPs). CBD alleged that the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) requires periodic reviews of DPPs and that BOEM had failed to review the DPPs—which had been in place for 40 years—for the Beta Unit (three drilling platforms and one processing platform) for at least two decades. CBD alleged that new information indicated that the DPPs for the Beta Unit were out of date, “increasing the numerous harms inherent in offshore drilling activities.” New information cited in the complaint included studies showing that climate change and ocean warming were increasing the frequency of extreme weather events, increasing wave power, and causing faster winds, which could affect the ability of the platforms to withstand wave conditions. The complaint also alleged that drilling off California’s coast “contributes to the climate emergency,” citing a study that found that “for each barrel of California oil left in the ground, only 0.4 to 0.8 barrels would be produced elsewhere, yielding a net reduction in global oil consumption of between 0.6 and 0.2 barrels.” CBD asserted claims under both the OCSLA and the Administrative Procedure Act.