Environmental groups are suing the Trump administration over the Interior Department’s approval of an ultra-deepwater oil drilling project in the Gulf of Mexico.
The petition filed Monday in the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals targets BP’s first completely new oil field in the Gulf since the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster and the groups say it endangers the health of Gulf residents, ecosystems, and the fishing and tourism industries.
“The Trump administration has teed up the entire Gulf region for a Deepwater Horizon sequel with its approval of BP’s extremely risky ultra-deepwater drilling project,” said Earthjustice senior attorney Brettny Hardy. “The greenlighting of BP’s project sets a dangerously low bar for oil-and-gas companies that want to drill in our public waters.”
The Interior Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
