US EditionU.S. could exempt oil industry from protecting Gulf animals, for ‘national security’
The Endangered Species Committee may exempt Gulf oil drilling from protections, risking extinction of the 51 remaining Rice’s whales, citing national security, critics say it favors fossil fuels.
- On Tuesday, March 31, 2026, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum will convene the Endangered Species Committee, known as the 'God Squad,' to consider exempting Gulf of America oil and gas operations from the Endangered Species Act.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth triggered the meeting, citing 'reasons of national security,' marking the first time in the 53-year history of the Act that a defense secretary has sought such an exemption.
- The committee, inactive for over 30 years, holds power to override environmental laws, and critics warn the exemption could endanger Rice's whale, a species with only 51 individuals remaining in the Gulf.
- Environmental organizations, including the Center for Biological Diversity, filed a federal lawsuit to block the meeting, while the administration claims the event is 'open to the public' via YouTube livestream.
- This move follows President Donald Trump's executive order declaring a 'national energy emergency,' aligning with an administration-wide push to remove obstacles to domestic energy infrastructure by limiting Endangered Species Act implementation.
95 Articles
95 Articles
Federal ‘God Squad’ Exempts Oil and Gas Drilling in the Gulf from Endangered Species Rules
A U.S. government panel on Tuesday exempted oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from the Endangered Species Act. The post Federal ‘God Squad’ Exempts Oil and Gas Drilling in the Gulf from Endangered Species Rules appeared first on Mississippi Free Press.
Trump’s ‘God Squad’ chose oil drilling over endangered species in the Gulf. This whale could be in particular danger
By Ella Nilsen, CNN (CNN) — Several high-ranking Trump officials that make up the so-called “God Squad” voted on Tuesday to quash longstanding Endangered Species Act regulations in the Gulf of Mexico, exempting all oil and gas drilling. It’s an outcome environmentalists fear could spell doom for the critically endangered Rice’s whale, a species that only exists in the Gulf and has just 50 whales left in existence. The “God Squad” is a panel of s…
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