The Center for Biological Diversity filed a notice of its intent to sue the US government for allowing Platform Elly and other offshore oil production in the Beta oilfield to operate under outdated drilling plans.
The notice comes after a major Southern California oil spill linked to Platform Elly, claiming that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has failed to review and require revision of the plans.
These incredibly outdated documents highlight the federal government’s reckless, contemptible refusal to protect our beaches, wildlife and communities from offshore drilling pollution. Retro is not a good look for those ominous oil platforms, which should be shut down entirely
said Kristen Monsell, legal director of the Center’s Oceans program.
The October oil spill leaked tens of thousands of gallons of oil into the Pacific Ocean, closed miles of beaches and fisheries, and killed and injured birds and other wildlife. The spill’s source was a pipeline from Platform Elly to Long Beach that services drilling platforms in the Beta oilfield in federal waters off California.
The notice letter explains that under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act the bureau has a duty to review and revise drilling plans when there have been changes.
Biden officials need to update these plans and lay out a schedule for shutting down these aging platforms. We’ve seen spill after spill in our coastal waters, and offshore drilling is utterly at odds with any serious effort to fight the climate emergency. We need these rusty relics out of our oceans
Ms. Monsell said.
