ELR Citation: 56 ELR 20032
No(s). 1:24-cv-02175 (TNM) (D.D.C. Mar 23, 2026) (McFadden, J.)

A district court denied environmental groups' motion for summary judgment in a challenge to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's (BOEM's) 2020 rule that walked back a proposed rule that would have set more stringent emission standards for oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico. The groups argued the 2020 rule ran afoul of BOEM's regulatory mandate under OCSLA, improperly relied on executive orders promoting domestic energy production, failed to provide a reasoned explanation, and failed to consider important aspects of the problem of offshore oil and gas pollution. The court found the rule did not flout OCSLA's regulatory mandate, that the groups failed to show BOEM arbitrarily and capriciously relied on the executive orders, that the reasons BOEM provided for promulgating the rule were sufficient, and that the groups did not establish that the rule fell short of BOEM's mandate to regulate for compliance with NAAQS. It denied the groups' motion and granted BOEM's cross-motion.