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A controlled burn of oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill sends towers of fire hundreds of feet into the air over the Gulf of Mexico on June 9, 2010. (PO1 John Masson / U.S. Coast Guard)
Update March 16, 2026

The Company Behind the “Deepwater Horizon” Oil Spill Just Got Approved to Drill in Even Deeper Water

The government just greenlit BP’s proposal for a new ultra-deepwater drilling project in the Gulf, despite significant red flags.

Press Release March 16, 2026

Trump Administration Approves BP’s First New Gulf Oilfield Since Deepwater Horizon

Ultra-deepwater drilling project in greater depths than BP’s 2010 disaster, the worst oil spill in U.S. history

<strong>Drill leases are moving to deeper, riskier waters in the Gulf of Mexico.</strong> Data sources: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, <a href="https://www.data.boem.gov/Leasing/OffshoreStatsbyWD/Default.aspx" class="a_color--black">Offshore Statistics by Water Depth</a>, 2/27/2026. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S030142151201141X" class="a_color--black">Impact of water depth on safety</a>, Muehlenbachs et. al., Energy Policy, Vol. 55, 2013. (Casey Chin / Earthjustice)
feature March 16, 2026

Why BP’s Kaskida Project Is a Recipe for (Yet Another) Disaster

The offshore oil drilling project would push into riskier, deeper waters than the infamous Deepwater Horizon rig.

Oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. (Lucasz Z / Shutterstock)
Press Release March 11, 2026

Gulf and Environment Groups Respond To Public Waters Sell-off To Oil Industry; Amid Soaring Energy & Gas Prices, Trump Admin Draws Far Fewer Bids Than Dec. Sale

New oil-and-gas leases will lock in decades of pollution; won’t lower Americans’ energy bills

A Rice’s whale — one of the world’s rarest whales — observed in the western Gulf of Mexico in 2024. The species is the only large whale species that lives year-round in North American waters. (Paul Nagelkirk / NOAA Fisheries - NMFS ESA/MMPA Permit #21938)
Press Release March 31, 2026

‘Extinction Committee’ Allows Oil Drillers to Ignore Species Protections in Gulf of Mexico

Panel of appointees aligns with “national security” rationale from Secretary of Defense

Dolphins swim in the Gulf of Mexico. (Talia Cohen / Unsplash)
Article April 2, 2026

We’re Suing the Trump Administration for Greenlighting Extinction in the Gulf of Mexico

Whales, sea turtles, fish, rays, manatees, corals, and birds are now without protection.

 A fisherman holds his hand dsiplaying a clump of oil from the ruptured BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig on June 9 2010 in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico off of Grand Terre Island, Louisiana. (Benjamin Lowy / Getty Images)
From the Experts March 11, 2026

A New Era of Offshore Drilling Quietly Threatens the Health of Gulf Communities

BP’s “Kaskida” project, which the Trump administration just approved, could become a sequel to Deepwater Horizon.

A Cook Inlet beluga calf swims with three larger beluga whales. (Paul Wade / NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center)
Press Release February 26, 2026

Traditional Tribal Nation, Community and Environmental Groups Notify Interior Department of Intent to Challenge Upcoming Offshore Oil-and-Gas Sale in Cook Inlet, Alaska

Trump administration plans to hold sale in violation of Endangered Species Act, putting extremely vulnerable Cook Inlet beluga whales at risk

Oil storage tanks at the Port of Long Beach. (John Gannon for Earthjustice)
Press Release: Victory March 11, 2026

Court Orders City of Long Beach Pause Oil Storage Tank Expansion Project

City’s environmental impact analysis ruled inadequate, rejected feasible alternatives, and now must be redone

Oil storage tanks at the Port of Long Beach. (John Gannon for Earthjustice)
From the Experts March 3, 2026

The City of Long Beach Approved Yet Another Oil Storage Tank Project.

Neighbors say enough is enough.

Oil on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, before an underwater containment system was put in place at the site of the Taylor Energy spill in 2019.
(Couvillion Group)
Article: Victory July 15, 2022

Victory – Finally – Against the Longest Oil Spill in U.S. History

After trying various scorched-earth tactics to avoid accountability, Taylor Energy is now liquidating to pay over $400 million in cleanup costs.

Press Release November 18, 2025

Lawsuit Challenges First Offshore Oil Sale of New Trump Administration

Gulf oil sale scheduled for December 10

Press Release August 26, 2025

Members of Congress Urge Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to Reject BP’s Ultra-deepwater Oil Drilling Proposal in Gulf of Mexico

Members have serious concerns about BP’s readiness to safely operate “Kaskida” project

People gather at the beach after sunset with offshore oil and gas platform Esther in the distance in Seal Beach, California. (Mario Tama / Getty Images)
Update November 18, 2025

Trump Plans to Drill 1.27 Billion Acres of Ocean. Here’s How We’re Fighting Back.

We’ve successfully challenged Trump’s past offshore oil lease sales that broke the law at the expense of coastal communities, and we’re ready to win again.

A Rice’s whale — one of the world’s rarest whales — observed in the western Gulf of Mexico in 2024. The species is the only large whale species that lives year-round in North American waters. (Paul Nagelkirk / NOAA Fisheries - NMFS ESA/MMPA Permit #21938)
From the Experts January 16, 2026

As a kid, he came face to face with one of the rarest whales in the world — he just didn’t know it yet

A photo of the whale caught a researcher’s eye, sparking a scientific odyssey spanning 56 years. Today, amid a push to expand fossil fuel drilling in the Gulf, Rice’s whales face extinction.

Press Release: Victory December 23, 2021

Taylor Energy Settles Lawsuit with Department of Interior to Pay for 14-Year Oil Spill Cleanup in Gulf of Mexico

Taylor Energy settled with the Department of Interior, agreeing to turn over more than $400 million to the government to plug the longest-running offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

War with Iran has spiked gas prices across the U.S., including at this Los Angeles  Chevron station on March 9. (Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images)
Article March 16, 2026

Oil Prices Are Spiking With Trump’s Iran War. The Way Out of This Cycle Is Clean Energy.

Earthjustice is pushing forward the energy transition this moment demands.

Offshore oil and gas platforms are a common site in the Gulf of Mexico, including this one off the Louisiana coast. (Brad Zweerink / Earthjustice)
video August 8, 2025

The ultra deepwater drilling project Kaskida has the potential to spill up to 4.5 million barrels of oil.

BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill was the most destructive in U.S. history. Now, the company wants to go into deeper and riskier waters in the Gulf.