ELR Citation: ELR 20028
No(s). 2397-71 (D.D.C. Dec 16, 1971)

Plaintiffs' motion granted for preliminary injunction preventing defendants from proceeding with the lease of approximately 80 tracts on the Outer Continental Shelf off eastern Louisiana for purposes of oil exploration. The Interior Department's final impact statement failed to mention certain alternative means of satisfying the national energy crisis and dealt only superficially with others, while conceding the grave environmental risks posed by off-shore drilling. NEPA's §102 duties strictly construed, relying on Calvert Cliffs Coordinating Committee, Inc. v. Atomic Energy Commission, 1 ELR 20346 (D.C. Cir. July 23, 1971).

Counsel for Plaintiffs
Thomas B. Stoel Jr.
Edward L. Strobehn Jr.
1600 Twentieth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 920-7110

Counsel for Defendants
Thomas L. McKevitt Attorney
Room 2127
Department of Justice
Washington, DC 20530
(202) 739 2710