A coalition of conservation groups filed a petition Thursday demanding the Interior Department address “alarming deficiencies” in its offshore oil program.
The petition, from the Center for Biological Diversity and eight other environmental organizations, follows a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) finding that Interior bureaus have failed to force oil companies to decommission their offshore facilities.
petition, from the Center for Biological Diversity
“Federal officials can’t let oil companies break the law by not plugging decrepit wells and platforms that pose oil spill and safety risks,” said Miyoko Sakashita, director of the center’s oceans program, in a statement.
The GAO report found more than 2,700 wells and 500 offshore oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico are past due for dismantling and decommissioning. Another 100 wells need plugging in the Pacific Ocean.
found more than 2,700 wells and 500 offshore oil and gas platforms
