A US government panel known as the 'God squad' has voted to exempt oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from the Endangered Species Act (ESA), a move critics say could push the rare Rice's whale to extinction. The Endangered Species Committee, which had not met in over 30 years, approved the exemption at the request of Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who argued that environmental lawsuits threatened national energy security.
Only about 51 Rice's whales remain, and they are already at risk due to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which released around 210 million gallons of oil into the Gulf. The committee, chaired by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, includes several Trump administration officials. All seven members voted unanimously in favour of the exemption.
Environmental groups condemned the decision. Steve Mashuda of Earthjustice said the administration is 'exploiting its self-made gas crisis to get rid of protections for endangered whales'. He added that Earthjustice would challenge the 'illegal order' in court. Patrick Parenteau, a law professor, warned that if successful, Trump 'could be the first person in history to knowingly extirpate a species from the face of the earth'.
Hegseth cited global oil shocks and Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as reasons for the exemption, saying 'disruptions to Gulf oil production benefit our adversaries'. The Gulf of Mexico accounts for over 10% of US crude oil production. However, the region has seen repeated environmental disasters, including a recent spill that spread 373 miles and contaminated seven protected reserves.
The Trump administration has made increased fossil fuel production a priority, approving BP's $5 billion ultra-deepwater drilling project in March. Environmentalists have pledged to legally challenge the committee's decision, arguing it violates the ESA and could lead to the extinction of protected species such as Rice's whales, whooping cranes and sea turtles.
