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ENVTL. DEFENSE CENTER v. BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY

Nos. 19-55526, 19-55707, 19-55708, 19-55718, 19-55725, 19-55727, 19-55728.

36 F.4th 850 (2022)

ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE CENTER, a California non-profit corporation; Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, a California non-profit corporation; People of the State of California, ex rel. Rob Bonta, Attorney General; California Coastal Commission; Center for Biological Diversity; Wishtoyo Foundation, Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT, Defendant-Appellee, American Petroleum Institute, Intervenor-Defendant-Appellant, and Richard Yarde, Regional Supervisor, Office of Environment, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; David Fish, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; Amanda Lefton, Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; Kevin M. Sligh, Sr., Director, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; Joan Barminski, Pacific Region Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; Mike Mitchell, Acting Pacific Region Director, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; U.S. Department of the Interior; Deb Haaland, Secretary of the Interior, Defendants, Exxon Mobil Corporation; DCOR, LLC, Intervenor-Defendants. Environmental Defense Center, a California non-profit corporation; Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, a California non-profit corporation; People of the State of California, ex rel. Rob Bonta, Attorney General; California Coastal Commission; Center for Biological Diversity; Wishtoyo Foundation, Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; Richard Yarde, Regional Supervisor, Office of Environment, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; David Fish, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; Amanda Lefton, Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; Kevin M. Sligh, Sr., Director, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; Joan Barminski, Pacific Region Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; Mike Mitchell, Acting Pacific Region Director, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; U.S. Department of the Interior; Deb Haaland, Secretary of the Interior, Defendants, American Petroleum Institute; DCOR, LLC, Intervenor-Defendants, and Exxon Mobil Corporation, Intervenor-Defendant-Appellant. Environmental Defense Center, a California non-profit corporation; Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, a California non-profit corporation; Plaintiffs-Appellants, and People of the State of California, ex rel. Rob Bonta, Attorney General; California Coastal Commission; Center for Biological Diversity; Wishtoyo Foundation, Plaintiffs, v. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; Richard Yarde, Regional Supervisor, Office of Environment, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; David Fish, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; Amanda Lefton, Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; Kevin M. Sligh, Sr., Director, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; Joan Barminski, Pacific Region Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; Mike Mitchell, Acting Pacific Region Director, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; U.S. Department of the Interior; Deb Haaland, Secretary of the Interior, Defendants-Appellees, American Petroleum Institute; Exxon Mobil Corporation; DCOR, LLC, Intervenor-Defendants-Appellees. Environmental Defense Center, a California non-profit corporation; Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, a California non-profit corporation; People of the State of California, ex rel. Rob Bonta, Attorney General; California Coastal Commission; Center for Biological Diversity; Wishtoyo Foundation, Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; Richard Yarde, Regional Supervisor, Office of Environment, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; David Fish, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; Amanda Lefton, Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; Kevin M. Sligh, Sr., Director, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; Joan Barminski, Pacific Region Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; Mike Mitchell, Acting Pacific Region Director, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; U.S. Department of the Interior; Deb Haaland, Secretary of the Interior, Defendants, American Petroleum Institute; Exxon Mobil Corporation, Intervenor-Defendants, and DCOR, LLC, Intervenor-Defendant-Appellant. Environmental Defense Center, a California non-profit corporation; Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, a California non-profit corporation; People of the State of California, ex rel. Rob Bonta, Attorney General; California Coastal Commission; Center for Biological Diversity; Wishtoyo Foundation, Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; Richard Yarde, Regional Supervisor, Office of Environment, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; David Fish, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; Amanda Lefton, Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; Kevin M. Sligh, Sr., Director, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; Joan Barminski, Pacific Region Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; Mike Mitchell, Acting Pacific Region Director, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; U.S. Department of the Interior; Deb Haaland, Secretary of the Interior, Defendants-Appellants, and American Petroleum Institute; Exxon Mobil Corporation; DCOR, LLC, Intervenor-Defendants. People of the State of California, ex rel. Rob Bonta, Attorney General; California Coastal Commission, Plaintiffs-Appellants, and Environmental Defense Center, a California non-profit corporation; Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, a California non-profit corporation; Center for Biological Diversity; Wishtoyo Foundation, Plaintiffs, v. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; Richard Yarde, Regional Supervisor, Office of Environment, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; David Fish, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; Amanda Lefton, Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; Kevin M. Sligh, Sr., Director, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; Joan Barminski, Pacific Region Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; Mike Mitchell, Acting Pacific Region Director, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; U.S. Department of the Interior; Deb Haaland, Secretary of the Interior, Defendants-Appellees, American Petroleum Institute; Exxon Mobil Corporation; DCOR, LLC, Intervenor-Defendants-Appellees. Center for Biological Diversity; Wishtoyo Foundation, Plaintiffs-Appellants, and Environmental Defense Center, a California non-profit corporation; Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, a California non-profit corporation; People of the State of California, ex rel. Rob Bonta, Attorney General; California Coastal Commission, Plaintiffs, v. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; Richard Yarde, Regional Supervisor, Office of Environment, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; David Fish, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; Amanda Lefton, Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; Kevin M. Sligh, Sr., Director, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; Joan Barminski, Pacific Region Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; Mike Mitchell, Acting Pacific Region Director, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; U.S. Department of the Interior; Deb Haaland, Secretary of the Interior, Defendants-Appellees, American Petroleum Institute; Exxon Mobil Corporation; DCOR, LLC, Intervenor-Defendants-Appellees.

United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.

Filed June 3, 2022.

Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

George Torgun (argued), Deputy Attorney General; Jamee Jordan Patterson , David A. Zonana , and David G. Alderson , Supervising Deputy Attorneys General; Daniel A. Olivas and Edward H. Ochoa , Senior Assistant Attorneys General; Rob Bonta , Attorney General; Office of the Attorney General, Oakland, California; for Plaintiffs-Appellees/Cross-Appellants People of the State of California and California Coastal Commission.

Margaret M. Hall (argued) and Linda J. Krop , Santa Barbara, California, for Plaintiffs-Appellees/Cross-Appellants Environmental Defense Center and Santa Barbara Channelkeeper.

James A. Maysonett (argued), Michael T. Gray , and Joseph H. Kim , Attorneys; Eric Grant , Deputy Assistant Attorney General; Environment and Natural Resources Division, United States Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., for Defendants-Appellees/Appellants Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Richard Yarde, David Fish, Amanda Lefton, Kevin M. Sligh Sr., Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Joan Barminski, Mike Mitchell, U.S. Department of the Interior, and Deb Haaland.

Jonathan A. Hunter (argued), Jones Walker LLP, New Orleans, Louisiana; M. Randall Oppenheimer and Dawn Sestito , O'Melveny & Myers LLP, Los Angeles, California; Stephen W. Wiegand , Liskow & Lewis, New Orleans, Louisiana; for Intervenor-Defendant-Appellee Exxon Mobil Corporation.

Steven J. Rosenbaum and Bradley K. Ervin , Covington & Burling LLP, Washington, D.C., for Intervenor-Defendant-Appellant/Cross-Appellee American Petroleum Institute.

L. Poe Leggette , Baker & Hostetler LLP, Houston, Texas, for Intervenor-Defendant-Appellee/Appellant DCOR, LLC.

Kristen Monsell and Emily Jeffers , Center for Biological Diversity, Oakland, California, for Plaintiffs-Appellees/Cross-Appellants Center for Biological Diversity and Wishtoyo Foundation.

Noah Garrison , Santa Monica, California, for Amici Curiae Members of U.S. House of Representatives.

Before: J. Clifford Wallace, Ronald M. Gould, and Carlos T. Bea, Circuit Judges.

OPINION

State boundaries extend three miles from their coastlines. Although the land and water beyond that is subject to federal control, coastal states are entitled to participate in the federal government's decisions concerning this area, known as the Outer Continental Shelf. This appeal concerns the federal government...

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