A settlement was reached on Friday July 2nd between environmental groups, the Coast Guard and BP to protect endangered sea turtles from being burned alive during the controlled burns occurring as part of the oil clean up effort in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Center for Biological Diversity, Turtle Island Restoration Network, Animal Welfare Institute and Animal Defense League had all sued in federal court, charging that inadequate precautions had been taken during the controlled burn process.  While no charred turtle remains have yet to be found, the argument focused on the risk the animals are facing as burn crews are targeting Sargassum seagrass, a habitat where turtles often congregate to feed.

With the settlement, the Coast Guard is now required to convene a group of scientists to determine how best to protect the endangered sea turtles from dying in the controlled burns.  The protocol that is developed will be disseminated for public comment and finalized as soon as possible to ensure a speedy response to this threat.

Center for Biological Diversity's executive director Kieran Suckling said in an interview that "it's a no-brainer to put sea turtle observers on the cleanup boats and whisk the turtles out of the oil pools before they're set on fire."

If BP and the Coast Guard are not prepared to put scientific observers on boats to identify and remove all turtles prior to any burns, Suckling has vowed that plaintiffs “will be back” in court to challenge to controlled burns.

Read more about sea turtles and oil clean-up efforts.

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