The Trump administration on Tuesday exempted oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from the Endangered Species Act after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said environmentalists' lawsuits threatened domestic energy supplies as the US wages war against Iran. Critics say the move by the Endangered Species Committee could doom a rare whale species and harm other marine life. Nicknamed the "God Squad" by groups who say it can decide a species' fate, the committee comprises several Trump administration officials and is chaired by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. It met Tuesday for the first time in more than three decades amid global oil shocks and soaring energy prices brought on by the Iran war, reports the AP.
"Disruptions to Gulf oil production doesn't hurt just us, it benefits our adversaries," Hegseth told the committee. "We cannot allow our own rules to weaken our standing and strengthen those who wish to harm us." The exemptions were not expected to immediately impact prices for crude or at the pump. Putting new oil wells into production takes years of development. Critics say it would speed the extinction of the rare Rice's whale, which numbers about 50 and is found exclusively in the Gulf of Mexico. "If Trump is successful here, he could be the first person in history to knowingly extirpate a species from the face of the earth. That's how precarious the condition of the Rice's whale is," said Patrick Parenteau, emeritus professor of law at Vermont Law School.
The Center for Biological Diversity asked US District Judge Rudolph Contreras in Washington on Tuesday to cancel the exemption. Last week, Contreras declined the environmental group's request to stop the committee from convening. Hegseth told committee members Tuesday that litigation from environmental groups "threatened to halt" Gulf oil production. Industry observers said the exemption could have significant implications for energy companies by streamlining approvals of new projects and impeding opponents' ability to derail drilling plans. "Serial litigation from activist groups targeting a lawful, well-regulated industry should not be allowed to indefinitely obstruct projects of clear national importance," said Erik Milito with the National Ocean Industries Association, which represents offshore developers.
The Gulf of Mexico produces about 2 million barrels of oil a day, accounting for almost 15% of crude pumped annually in the US. A spill in the Gulf off the Mexican coast this month spread 373 miles, contaminating at least six species and polluting seven protected natural reserves. A 2025 National Marine Fisheries Service analysis determined the Gulf oil and gas program was likely to harm several species of whales, sea turtles, and Gulf sturgeon. They face potential harm from ship strikes, oil spills, and other impacts. "The Endangered Species Act has not slowed an iota of oil from being extracted from the Gulf," said Defenders of Wildlife President Andrew Bowman. "I cannot stress enough how unprecedented and unlawful this action is."
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