A court decision in Maryland faces stiff criticism from seven energy trade groups that say the ruling could shut down a swath of offshore oil and gas operations and activities on Dec. 20.
The American Petroleum Institute (API), the Energy Workforce & Technology Council, the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPPA), the US Oil and Gas Association, the National Ocean Industries Association, the Western Energy Alliance, and the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) issued statements Tuesday in response to a decision issued by Judge Deborah Boardman in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland to vacate the 2020 Gulf of Mexico Biological Opinion (BiOp).
The BiOp was meant to serve as the primary Endangered Species Act consultation for most oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico, with only a few additional actions requiring further review, according to the trade groups, which want a legal, regulatory or legislative solution in place before Dec. 20 that prevents a gap between biological opinions being in place.