ELR Citation: ELR 20086
No(s). 72-2449 (9th Cir. Nov 27, 1973)

The Secretary of the Interior was acting within his authority when, after the Santa Barbara Channel oil blowout, he suspended drilling permits in the channel. The Outer Continental Shelf Act permits the Secretary to issue and amend regulations in order to protect and conserve the natural resources of the outer continental shelf. In this context, "natural resources" includes all aspects of the marine environment, not merely oil andgas. NEPA provides an additional legal basis for the Secretary's action. Although the leases were executed in conformity with the OCS Act, the subsequently discovered environmental hazards justify the suspension. If Congress should continue to take no action on the Secretary's requests for legislation terminating the leases in the channel, the legality of repeated suspensions might then be reexamined. For the opinion of the district court, here reversed, see 2 ELR 20450.

Counsel for Plaintiff
Samuel Pruitt, Jr.
John Endicott
R. Randall Huff
Gibson, Dunn & Krutcher
604 S. Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90014

Counsel for Defendant
Jacques B. Gelin
Justice Department
Washington, DC 20530

William Keller U.S. Attorney
312 N. Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012