A court decision, which was interpreted to pose a serious risk to new and existing oil and natural gas operations in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico with some fearing that it would have unintended consequences for the offshore wind program too, has been replaced with a new one. This has prolonged the deadline to give the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), part of NOAA and known as NOAA Fisheries, time to carry out an environmental review of the effects of oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
After the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland vacated earlier this year the NMFS 2020 Biological Opinion for Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas activities (BiOp), effective December 20, the oil and gas industry argued that the ruling did not allow enough time for NMFS to issue a new BiOp, which is required for offshore drilling. This addresses the risks oil and gas operations present for endangered species such as Rice’s whale.