Center for Biological Diversity: WASHINGTON Six environmental groups submitted a petition today to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management calling on the agency to end a routine practice of fast-tracking approval for offshore oil and gas projects. The Interior Department first adopted a “categorical exclusion” for oil and gas activities in 1981, allowing exploration and development plans to win approval for much of the Gulf of Mexico without undergoing the site-specific analysis normally required by the National Environmental Policy Act.
A USA TODAY analysis of federal data\u00a0found that railway incidents requiring\u00a0nearby residents to flee possible explosions\u00a0or toxic fumes\u00a0are rare.