Federal God squad' exempts oil and gas drilling in Gulf of Mexico from endangered species rules

"The Endangered Species Committee voted to approve the request for the ESA exemption at the request of the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth. Hegseth has said environmentalists' lawsuits against the industry threatened to hobble the nation's energy supply, while environmentalists fear drilling could kill off protected species including Rice's whales, whooping cranes and sea turtles."

"Only about 51 Rice's whales remain, and they and other wildlife are largely on the brink of extinction because of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig spill, which devastated the gulf when it leaked about 210m gallons."

"Steve Mashuda, attorney for the non-profit environmental law organization Earthjustice, criticized the move. The Trump administration is exploiting its self-made gas crisis to get rid of protections for endangered whales and other imperiled species in the Gulf of Mexico."

"Secretary Hegseth and his extinction committee claim this will eventually cut costs for cash-strapped Americans, but gulf communities know what unrestrained drilling will really bring: devastating oil spills and the destruction of ecosystems and coastal economies."

A US government panel exempted oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from the Endangered Species Act, a decision criticized for threatening endangered species like Rice's whales. The Endangered Species Committee, which had not met in over 30 years, approved the exemption at the request of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Environmentalists argue that this move endangers marine life and ecosystems, while proponents claim it is necessary for energy supply. The decision has sparked legal challenges from environmental organizations like Earthjustice.

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