Healthy Gulf v. U.S. Department of the Interior

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals denied environmental groups’ petition for review challenging the 2024–2029 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program, which authorized up to three lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico region. As an initial matter, the court found that the groups had associational standing to bring the suit on behalf of their members. On the merits, the court found that the U.S. Department of the Interior satisfied obligations under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to, among other things, evaluate how offshore leasing risks affect vulnerable communities, analyze environmental sensitivity, and consider potential interference with other present or future uses of the Gulf of Mexico region. The D.C. Circuit further found that the Interior Department’s balancing of the relevant environmental and economic factors satisfied OCSLA requirements.

Environmental groups and American Petroleum Institute filed separate petitions for review in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s approval of the 2024-2029 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. The approved program scheduled three Gulf of Mexico oil and gas lease sales over the five years of the program.