The Trump administration says the safeguards would reduce US energy competitiveness amid the ongoing war on Iran.
Published on 31 March 2026
A committee with ties to United States President Donald Trump has exempted oil and gas drillers in the Gulf of Mexico from protections under the Endangered Species Act, which aims to protect vulnerable species.
On Tuesday, the government’s Endangered Species Committee held a rare meeting to consider whether the protections should be removed.
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The panel, composed of six senior Trump officials, ultimately voted unanimously in favor of lifting the ban.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at the meeting that environmental regulations could impact U.S. energy production as the ongoing war on Iran continues to impact energy markets.
“Disruption to Gulf oil production doesn’t just hurt us. It also benefits our adversaries,” Hegseth said.
“We cannot allow our own rules to weaken our position and strengthen those who seek to harm us. When growth in the Gulf cools, we are prevented from producing the energy we need as a country and as a department.”
But environmental groups have objected to the decision and expect a legal battle in the coming months.
It is only the fourth time in US history the Endangered Species Committee has convened, and Tuesday marks the third time a waiver of the Endangered Species Act has been granted.
Considered a landmark piece of legislation, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 bans actions that could kill or harm species or their habitats that are close to extinction.
This act is enacted to protect vulnerable species, such as the Rice whale, that are particularly found in the ecosystem in the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists estimate that only 50 of the rare whales remain.
Birds, sea turtles and Gulf sturgeon are also among the local species protected by the Act.
Hegseth first requested a meeting of the Endangered Species Committee on March 13, arguing that increasing oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico was necessary for “reasons of national security.”
But critics have dubbed the committee “God’s Squad”, a reference to its power over the continued existence of a species.
Tuesday’s committee included Trump appointees, including Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.
Advocates have promised to challenge the waiver, arguing that the Trump administration has failed to follow protocols set under the Endangered Species Act. They also question whether Tuesday’s exemption is justified by the facts.
“The Endangered Species Act has not reduced oil extraction from the Gulf one bit,” said Andrew Bowman, president of the advocacy group Defenders of Wildlife. “I cannot emphasize enough how unprecedented and unlawful this action is.”
Environmental protection has been a low priority for the Trump administration, which has rolled back existing regulations and supported fossil fuel policies while dismissing climate change as a “hoax.”
“If Trump is successful here, he could be the first person in history to intentionally exterminate a species from the Earth,” Patrick Parenteau, professor emeritus of law at the University of Vermont Law School, told The Associated Press. “How dangerous is the condition of Rice’s whale.”
