That’s why, in 2019, the federal government — then under President Donald Trump’s first term — gave these sleek marine mammals a lifeline. It listed them as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, the most powerful wildlife protection law in the country and among the strongest in the world
The law makes killing or harming the animals illegal, with some exceptions. It also requires that federal agencies, including those that approve oil and gas leases, ensure that their actions won’t threaten the existence of species with ESA protection. This was key for Rice’s whale, as the main threat they face is from the Gulf’s oil and gas industry: vessel strikes, noise from exploration, and spills.
That brings us to this week: On Tuesday, several top Trump officials convened a rarely assembled panel known as the God Squad — a committee, led by the Interior Secretary, that has the power to override the Endangered Species Act and approve activities that could potentially drive species to extinction. Congress created the committee in 1978, not long after the ESA was enacted, for rare cases when adhering to endangered species protections threaten the US economy or national security. It’s essentially a loophole in the Act, and it’s only been invoked a handful of times before.
In Tuesday’s meeting, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth — the highest ranking official present — said ESA protections for animals in the Gulf, such as Rice’s whales, threaten to limit oil production. The Gulf produces about 15 percent of the country’s crude oil, he said, which helps power the military and defend the US. “Exemption from the Endangered Species Act in the Gulf is not just a good idea, it is a critical matter of national security,” Hegseth told the panel.
The meeting lasted only around 15 minutes and the panel voted unanimously to exempt oil and gas activity in the Gulf from ESA protections. It was the first time the “God Squad” — formerly known as the Endangered Species Committee — has ever granted an exemption on the grounds of national security.
Loggerdon on
I hope scientists have taken tissue samples in case we have to revive then population.
edtheheadache on
Maga are so frigging evil. It sickens me to my core that trump and his minions are ok with eliminating a species from the face of the earth. 🤮
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In the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico lives one of the world’s rarest and most elusive marine mammals: Rice’s whale. There are just 51 of them left, according to the most recent [scientific estimates](https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/s3//2025-05/BOEM-BSEE-Gulf-of-America-Oil-and-Gas-Program-BiOp-5.20.25.pdf), meaning they are quite literally on the knife’s edge of extinction.
That’s why, in 2019, the federal government — then under President Donald Trump’s first term — gave these sleek marine mammals a lifeline. It listed them as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, the most powerful wildlife protection law in the country and among the strongest in the world
The law makes killing or harming the animals illegal, with some exceptions. It also requires that federal agencies, including those that approve oil and gas leases, ensure that their actions won’t threaten the existence of species with ESA protection. This was key for Rice’s whale, as the main threat they face is from the Gulf’s oil and gas industry: vessel strikes, noise from exploration, and spills.
Protecting the whale under federal law gave it a chance for survival, environmental groups [said](https://www.nrdc.org/press-releases/administration-lists-gulf-mexico-whale-endangered-after-lawsuit) when it was listed. But the new Trump administration has shown a formidable ability to water down, or [sidestep entirely](https://apnews.com/article/lesser-prairie-chicken-endangered-species-threatened-23c6694e0d4759f1ac09ac5125ed7865), protections for species under the law — especially if those animals live in areas with an active oil and gas industry.
That brings us to this week: On Tuesday, several top Trump officials convened a rarely assembled panel known as the God Squad — a committee, led by the Interior Secretary, that has the power to override the Endangered Species Act and approve activities that could potentially drive species to extinction. Congress created the committee in 1978, not long after the ESA was enacted, for rare cases when adhering to endangered species protections threaten the US economy or national security. It’s essentially a loophole in the Act, and it’s only been invoked a handful of times before.
In Tuesday’s meeting, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth — the highest ranking official present — said ESA protections for animals in the Gulf, such as Rice’s whales, threaten to limit oil production. The Gulf produces about 15 percent of the country’s crude oil, he said, which helps power the military and defend the US. “Exemption from the Endangered Species Act in the Gulf is not just a good idea, it is a critical matter of national security,” Hegseth told the panel.
The meeting lasted only around 15 minutes and the panel voted unanimously to exempt oil and gas activity in the Gulf from ESA protections. It was the first time the “God Squad” — formerly known as the Endangered Species Committee — has ever granted an exemption on the grounds of national security.
I hope scientists have taken tissue samples in case we have to revive then population.
Maga are so frigging evil. It sickens me to my core that trump and his minions are ok with eliminating a species from the face of the earth. 🤮