US EditionTrump officials exempt oil and gas drilling in the Gulf from endangered species rules
The unanimous vote could speed drilling approvals and intensify legal fights as conservation groups warn the move may push the rare Rice's whale closer to extinction.
- Senior Trump administration officials voted to exempt the Gulf of Mexico oil and gas industry from endangered species protections, including for whales and turtles.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated the exemption was necessary due to ongoing litigation threatening production.
- Hegseth remarked, 'We cannot allow our own rules to weaken our standing and strengthen those who wish to harm us.'
- Brett Hartl from the Center for Biological Diversity criticized the decision, calling it 'horrific' and pledged that environmental groups plan to challenge it in court.
49 Articles
49 Articles
Meet the 'God Squad,' the U.S.'s Powerful Endangered Species Panel
A committee of high-ranking officials dubbed the “God Squad” for its power to determine the fate of endangered species has approved an exemption to federal protections for just the third time in its nearly 50-year history.The panel of Trump Administration officials on Tuesday voted unanimously to exempt oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from environmental safeguards in place to protect the endangered wildlife living in its waters. Secr…
Several high-ranking officials of the Trump administration who make up the so-called “Squad of God” voted this Tuesday to annul long-standing regulations of the Endangered Species Act in the Gulf of Mexico, exempting from those...
Endangered Species Committee Exempts Gulf Oil and Gas Production in Rare Decision
In a rare meeting of the federal Endangered Species Committee on March 31 over national security concerns, Trump administration cabinet members voted unanimously to grant an exemption to shield oil and gas production in the Gulf of America from the Endangered Species Act. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, who served as committee chair, called the meeting in accordance with a section of the federal law after he received national security fin…
'They're insane': Outrage as Trump admin move threatens rare whale with extinction
President Donald Trump's latest move to appease his administration's corporate donors sparked outrage on social media on Tuesday. The Washington Post reported that the Trump Department of the Interior, led by Secretary Doug Burgum, voted to exempt oil and gas companies from existing rules under the Endangered Species Act when they are drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. A committee nicknamed the "God squad" met for the first time in roughly three de…
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