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A4   U.S. NEWS
                        Friday 12 July 2024
            Group sues federal government, claims it ignores harms of idle

            offshore oil and gas infrastructure



            By JACK BROOK                                                                                                       cumstances  indicate  en-
            Associated Press                                                                                                    vironmental  impacts  not
            NEW  ORLEANS  (AP)  —  An                                                                                           previously considered  such
            environmental  group  is  su-                                                                                       as the norm of leaving pipe-
            ing the federal government                                                                                          lines  in  place  or  overdue
            to  force  the  U.S.  Depart-                                                                                       decommissioning  for  other
            ment of Interior to reassess                                                                                        infrastructure,  Center  for
            the long-term environmen-                                                                                           Biological  Diversity’s  Mon-
            tal effects of delays in shut-                                                                                      sell  points  out.  The  Bureau
            ting down inactive oil and                                                                                          of Ocean Energy Manage-
            gas infrastructure in the Gulf                                                                                      ment  states  on  its  website
            of Mexico.                                                                                                          that  it  is  preparing  a  new
            The lawsuit, filed in federal                                                                                       assessment  but  does  not
            court  in  Washington,  D.C.,                                                                                       provide a timeline. It did not
            by the nonprofit Center for                                                                                         immediately  respond  to  a
            Biological Diversity on Thurs-                                                                                      request for comment.
            day, argues that the depart-                                                                                        The lawsuit argues that the
            ment has failed to properly                                                                                         idle  offshore  infrastructure
            account for harms caused                                                                                            threatens endangered and
            by  deteriorating,  unused                                                                                          federally protected species
            wells and other inactive oil                                                                                        in the Gulf of Mexico such
            and gas infrastructure over                                                                                         as giant manta rays, logger-
            the past two decades.                                                                                               head  sea  turtles  and  West
            “What we have now in the     Oil well workers prepare to plug an orphaned well on the Rooke family ranch, May 18, 2021, near   Indian  manatees.  Aging
            Gulf of Mexico is a mess of   Refugio, Texas.                                                                       drilling  platforms  and  un-
            leaky wells, rusty platforms,                                                                      Associated Press  plugged oil wells are known
            and corroding pipelines cre-  of Ocean Energy Manage-     platforms  removed  within  place,  even  though  pipe-   to increase the risk of pollu-
            ated by the oil and gas in-  ment,  which  manages  oil  the timespan established by  lines  are  supposed  to  be  tion  from  spills  and  the  re-
            dustry, and that’s unaccept-  and  gas  development  in  federal law  no later than 3  removed from the seafloor.   lease of greenhouse gases.
            able,”  said  Kristen  Monsell,  federal waters.          years for wells and 5 years  “Once they’re no longer be-  Scott Lauermann, a spokes-
            oceans  program  litigation  A spokesperson for the de-   for platforms.               ing used, their supposed to  person for the American Pe-
            director  for  the  nonprofit.  partment,  which  includes  More than 2,700 oil wells and  be  cleaned  and  capped  troleum Institute, the oil and
            “The industry makes a huge  both  bureaus,  declined  to  500 platforms in the Gulf of  and  removed,”  said  Frank  gas industry’s national trade
            profit off what they extract  comment.                    Mexico had missed federal  Rusco,  director  of  natural  association, said the industry
            from  public  waters  in  the  The  Department  of  Interior  deadlines  for  decommis-  resources and environment  is committed to “responsible
            Gulf,  and  it’s  only  fair  that  last assessed the impact of  sioning as of June 2023, ac-  for GAO. “What we found is  operations.”
            they be the ones to pay for  decommissioning  offshore  cording to a report from the  that Interior had not effec-  “Our  members  continue
            clean-up rather than leav-   oil and gas infrastructure in  Government Accountability  tively implemented regula-   to  support  a  transparent
            ing it to the taxpayers.”    the Gulf of Mexico in 2005  Office cited in the lawsuit.  tions,  they  had  just  sort  of  and  balanced  regulatory
            The  lawsuit  includes  the  and 1985.                    Another  GAO  report  from  defaulted  to  leaving  the  framework  that  promotes
            Bureau  of  Safety  and  En-  The  lawsuit  claims  those  2021 found that the federal  stuff in place.”            responsible development of
            vironmental  Enforcement,  studies are “outdated” and  government has authorized  Federal  law  requires  a  resources and the safe and
            which  oversees  offshore  falsely  assumed  that  inac-  over  97%  of  seafloor  pipe-  new assessment should be  timely  decommissioning  of
            safety  and  environmental  tive  Gulf  wells  would  be  lines  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  conducted  when  new  in-  infrastructure,”  Lauermann
            regulations, and the Bureau  permanently  plugged  and  to  be  decommissioned  in  formation  or  changed  cir-    said. q


            Theater festivals offer to give up their grants if DeSantis restores


            funding for Florida arts groups


                                                                      By MIKE SCHNEIDER            ference, but they said it was  “When  I  see  money  being
                                                                      Associated Press             important  for  the  state’s  spent  that  way,  I  have  to
                                                                      Leaders  of  two  performing  arts  groups  to  be  funded  be the one who stands up
                                                                      arts  festivals  said  Thursday  because  they  play  critical  for taxpayers and say, ‘You
                                                                      that they would gladly give  roles  in  their  communities.  know what? That is an inap-
                                                                      up their grants if Florida Gov.  The  Orlando  festival  had  propriate  use  of  taxpayer
                                                                      Ron  DeSantis  restores  the  been slated to get $70,500,  dollars,’ “ DeSantis said.
                                                                      $32 million in state funding  and the Tampa festival was  Critics  decried  the  veto,
                                                                      he nixed for more than 600  in line to receive $7,500 be-  saying  it  was  an  extension
                                                                      Florida arts groups, explain-  fore the veto.             of  DeSantis’  culture  wars
                                                                      ing  the  reason  for  his  veto  Asked to respond to the let-  in which he has supported
                                                                      as being because the two  ter, a DeSantis spokeswom-      laws  limiting  what  can  be
                                                                      theatrical  events  were  “a  an  referred  to  the  gover-  said  in  classrooms  about
                                                                      sexual festival.”            nor’s June 27 remarks when  sexual orientation and gen-
                                                                      Leaders  of  The  Orlando  he cited the Fringe festivals  der identity and prohibiting
            Michel Hausmann, co-founder and director of Miami New     Fringe  and  Tampa  Fringe  as something to which tax-    the  teaching  of  an  aca-
            Drama, stands in the theater, Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in   described  the  governor’s  payers  would  be  reluctant  demic framework outlining
            Miami Beach, Fla.                                         description  as  inaccurate  to have their money direct-  the ways systemic racism is
                                                     Associated Press  on Thursday at a news con-  ed.                          part of American society.q
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