On March 14, the Trump administration approved another massive oil drilling plan. Owned entirely by British Petroleum, one of the largest oil companies, the $5 billion project will extract oil in ultra-deep waters of the Gulf of America, formerly Mexico.
What is BP’s Kaskida project?
Kaskida is the sixth operated hub in the U.S. Gulf of America by British Petroleum (BP), located in ultra-deep water 250 miles off the coast of New Orleans. Expected to start operations in 2029, it is estimated to produce 80,000 barrels of oil per day, which will eventually unlock 10 billion barrels of discovered resources.
BP Executive Vice President of Production and Operations Gordon Birrell said, “Developing Kaskida will unlock the potential of the Paleogene in the Gulf of Mexico for BP, building on our decades of experience in the region.”
Furthermore, BP Senior Vice President for the Gulf of America and Canada Andy Krieger emphasized its safety, saying, “By employing an industry-led design solution, Kaskida will be simpler to construct and simpler to operate, enhancing safety and delivering greater value for BP.”
Concerns for safety and the environment
However, some organizations have raised concerns about the project because the company was responsible for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 in the Gulf of America. It was the worst oil spill in U.S. history, killing 11 people and causing $70 billion in damages.
Earthjustice, an environmental advocacy and protection organization, pointed out that the project has a higher risk of spilling than Deepwater Horizon. They said its operation in ultra-deepwater drilling would require it to withstand extreme pressure and temperature conditions, relying on still-emerging technology.
Brettny Hardy, senior attorney for Earthjustice’s Ocean Program, said, “It’s deeply disturbing that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management approved a proposal littered with legal and regulatory flaws, especially given BP’s history in the Gulf.”
Irene Gutierrez, senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), an environmental advocacy group, said, “BP’s Kaskida project is a reckless gamble that repeats the same dangerous playbook as Deepwater Horizon — only this time in even deeper waters, posing even greater well control challenges.”
Administration plans to call the Endangered Species Committee
In regard to this project, the Trump administration gathered the Endangered Species Committee on March 31 for the first time in over 30 years.
The committee possesses the authority to make an exemption for the Endangered Species Act, which requires all federal agencies to ensure their actions do not jeopardize the existence of endangered species.
In the meeting, the committee voted unanimously to grant an exemption for oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of America, pushing the Kaskida project forward.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who requested the exemption, said, “It is essential to our national security to exempt all Gulf oil and gas activities.”
However, the decision can threaten some endangered species in the Gulf, including Rice’s whale, with fewer than 100 remaining.
The approval from the administration and the exemption of the project from the Endangered Species Act will move the project forward, but the pushback from local and environmental groups regarding its safety and environmental destruction continues to remain.
