E&E News Quotes Former DOI Official Travis Annatoyn on Environmental Review Shift in Offshore Drilling Plan
Travis Annatoyn, Arnold & Porter Environmental counsel and former Deputy Solicitor for Energy and Mineral Resources at the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), was quoted in the E&E News article, “Interior skips NEPA analysis for offshore drilling expansion,” which reported on the agency’s decision not to conduct a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review for its new five-year offshore drilling program.
Travis said DOI’s position is arguably reasonable in view of court decisions, but noted those decisions have not been tested “against a five-year program with no NEPA whatsoever.” He also explained that the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act itself, like NEPA, requires analysis of issues such as threatened species, oil-spill risks, and coastal impacts. According to Travis, “the big question will be how deep is that analysis and how much does the agency defer until the lease sale stage.”
