Gulf Restoration Network v. Haaland

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals remanded a challenge to the environmental review of two Gulf of New Mexico oil and gas lease sales to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) for consideration of a Government Accountability Office report that found deficiencies in enforcement of safety and environmental requirements. The D.C. Circuit declined to vacate the leases, supplemental environmental impact statement, or records of decision. The court also rejected the petitioners’ other arguments, including claims that BOEM failed to consider a true no-action alternative in which no leasing occurred and that BOEM should have considered potential changes to rules intended to reduce offshore drilling risks.