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Kaskida aims to pump out 80,000 barrels a day starting in 2029. But this isn’t just another rig; environmental groups are battling the project in court, arguing it brings serious risks to the Gulf’s fragile ecosystem.

The Kaskida project represents BP’s first big move in the Gulf since the Deepwater Horizon disaster back in 2010. The company plans to drill over six miles below sea level, reaching depths even greater than those where the 2010 blowout happened. Engineers hope to unlock some 10 billion barrels of oil from this field by the decade’s end. Key to their plan: new 20,000 psi high-pressure drilling technology, which lets them tap oil that was unreachable until now. 

Regulators are shifting the legal landscape to make this possible. The administration rolled back a slew of environmental protections, even exempting some Gulf drilling activities from portions of the Endangered Species Act. The idea? Speed up domestic energy production and open the door for even more projects down the line. The Interior Department is also rolling out an updated five-year leasing plan, its 11th National Offshore Leasing Program, which looks to auction off more areas in the Gulf and other waters, replacing older, stricter restrictions.

Of course, this rapid expansion hasn’t gone unchallenged. Environmental organizations, including Earthjustice, filed lawsuits targeting the Kaskida approval, raising alarm over potential harm to marine species like the critically endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle and Rice’s whale. Their warnings go further: by pushing deeper and using high-pressure techniques, these ultra-deep wells become much riskier. According to critics, oil wells at these depths are at least six times more likely to suffer a catastrophic blowout than previous generations.

Supporters argue projects like Kaskida mean energy security and economic gains. But scientists and environmentalists insist the risks are too great, especially considering BP’s own history in the region.

For more information about Earthjustice, click here.

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The public review of NOAA’s Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary management plan has begun. This process will help them keep pace with current and future resource protection, research, and education efforts.

From now through May 21, 2026, the NOAA is seeking your thoughts on what the management plan revision should cover. This is just the first chance, as there will be more opportunities to weigh in. 

The Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary isn’t located in Southwest Florida, but it plays a major role in the health of the entire Gulf of Mexico. You’ll find it out in the northwestern Gulf, about 80 to 125 miles off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana. The sanctuary covers 160 square miles of coral reefs that sit on top of salt domes, about 115 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas. What happens in this vital coral reef area affects us all.

What makes this place special? It protects 17 separate reefs, known as banks. Among them are the East and West Flower Garden Banks and Stetson Bank, the stars of the show out there in the open water.

Reviewing their management plan gives the NOAA a chance to see what’s working, what still needs attention, and how they can better reach their goals. They rely on community members and their Sanctuary Advisory Council to guide this process.

A lot has changed since NOAA put the current plan in place in 2012. They have new partners and technology, and new challenges have come up. By evaluating what they’ve accomplished and what’s left to do, the NOAA ensures it’s focused on the right priorities.

The NOAA hopes you’ll join them in shaping the future of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.For more information contact flowergarden.noaa.gov.

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Earthquakes aren’t common in this part of the world. This one now ties the record for the second-largest ever in or near Florida’s waters, on par with a similar event from April 1997. Despite its size, authorities saw no immediate damage; coastal infrastructure and offshore platforms held steady, and no tsunami warnings followed.

Seismologists call this an intraplate earthquake. Unlike the tremors we associate with the edges of tectonic plates, these occur deep within the plate itself, as old, stored-up stresses finally let go, almost like a deep exhale after years of tension. Most people along the coast felt nothing. Still, the USGS’s “Did You Feel It?” map recorded at least one report, coming all the way from Lake Butler, Florida, over 440 miles from where the quake hit.

This earthquake comes close on the heels of increased seismic activity in the region. Earlier in March, a 4.9 magnitude quake hit near Coushatta, Louisiana, the second-largest ever felt inland in the state, prompting people across the ArkLaTex to take notice.

Louisiana First experts point out that, though the Gulf isn’t known as a major earthquake zone, the eastern region has logged over a dozen instrumentally recorded quakes in the last half-century. The largest remains the 5.9 magnitude shock from September 2006, a reminder that the Gulf’s quiet can sometimes be deceiving.

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