Enviros Challenge 49 Gulf Drilling Exemptions in Court

"NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, May 29, 2010 (ENS) - The Center for Biological Diversity Thursday filed a lawsuit against Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and the Minerals Management Service to strike down the agency's exemption of 49 Gulf of Mexico drilling projects from all environmental review. The suit was filed in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

Just like BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling plan, all 49 plans named in the lawsuit state that no environmental review is necessary because there is essentially no chance of a large oil spill, and if a spill were to occur, it would be quickly cleaned up with no lasting damage.

'Secretary Salazar continues to exercise extremely poor judgment in approving these plans without meaningful environmental review,' said Miyoko Sakashita, oceans director at the Center. 'He seems to have learned nothing from the oil pouring out into the Gulf of Mexico.'"

Environment News Service had the story May 29, 2010.