Energy & Environment

The Big Story

Gulf drilling granted reprieve from wildlife protection law

Trump administration officials on Tuesday exempted drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from complying with Endangered Species Act (ESA) requirements.

The administration took the extraordinary step of convening the Endangered Species Commission — sometimes nicknamed the "God Squad" for its ability to condemn a species to extinction — for the first time in more than 30 years.

While oil production is currently ongoing in the Gulf of Mexico largely unimpeded, the exemption appeared aimed at circumventing litigation that seeks to protect endangered species, including the Rice's whale.

There are estimated to be fewer than 100 Rice's whales, which live in the Gulf, remaining.

The commission, made up of the secretaries of Interior, Agriculture and Army, as well as the heads of the Council of Economic Advisors, Environmental Protection Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, voted unanimously to allow the exemption, which was requested by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Hegseth, in remarks before the commission, argued that lawsuits "risk halting or severely compromising" oil and gas drilling in the Gulf.

"Considering this litigation, it is essential to our national security to exempt all Gulf oil and gas activities from the Endangered Species Act requirements," he said.

Some environmentalists, however, say they just want to see "modest" protections put in place to protect the whales.

Read more at TheHill.com.

Welcome to The Hill's Energy & Environment newsletter, I'm Rachel Frazin — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.

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