In a federal court ruling last month, the National Marine Fisheries Service was ordered to rewrite a critical opinion on endangered species in the Gulf upon which federal agencies rely to issue new permits and other authorizations for offshore drilling. The court found the fisheries service had failed to reflect the real dangers posed by oil and gas drilling in its current opinion, which is now scheduled to be invalidated on Dec. 20.

But the agency has said it could take until spring to complete the document, leaving the Department of Interior no clear path to manage offshore oil and gas drilling there, said Erik Milito, president of the National Ocean Industries Association.