A committee appointed by the Trump administration has jettisoned protections for Gulf species in favor of oil and gas development.
Members from the Endangered Species Committee, also known as the “God Squad,” met for about 15 minutes to discuss whether to exempt regulations involving the conservation of species listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. During the hearing, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth requested the exemption, stating that litigation was threatening oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico, recently renamed by the Trump administration as the Gulf of America. He argued that the war in Iran and related oil shortages also justified the exemptions.
Conservationists are concerned that oil and gas development in the Gulf could jeopardize the federally endangered Rice’s whale (Balaenoptera ricei) as well as sea turtle species. Rice’s whales are one of the rarest whales in the world, with only around 50 individuals remaining. Activities are still subject to the Marine Mammal Protection Act and National Environmental Policy Act.
