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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