API: Federal government’s settlement with environmental activists places “unfounded restrictions” on U.S. offshore production

WASHINGTON — The American Petroleum Institute (API), EnerGeo Alliance and the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) released the following statement in response to the announced Stipulated Stay Agreement in Sierra Club v. National Marine Fisheries Service:

"The men and women of America's energy industry take seriously their responsibilities to the communities and the environment where they live and work. This private settlement agreement between the federal government and environmental activists places unfounded restrictions on operations in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico that severely hamper America's ability to produce energy in a region that is responsible for the lowest carbon-intensive barrels in the world. Despite no evidence to warrant this far-reaching ban on operations after extensive data collections, today’s agreement undermines the integrity of legitimate conservation and habitat protection efforts, violates the explicit directives of Congress in enacting the Inflation Reduction Act, and harms America’s energy independence."