Trump exempts oil drilling companies from the Endangered Species Act by invoking special powers
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KGO) -- In a push to expand oil production, the Trump administration has invoked special powers of a rarely used federal panel nicknamed the "God Squad" to bypass endangered species protections and ramp up oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
The powerful committee - which includes the heads of several federal agencies, all now run by Trump appointees - issued an exemption Tuesday allowing oil and gas companies drilling in the Gulf of Mexico to proceed without complying with the Endangered Species Act. The exemption was permitted by a judge on the grounds of national security.
"This really drives a stake through the heart of American wildlife law if it's allowed to stand," said Michael Jasny, director of the Marine Mammal Protection Project at the Natural Resources Defense Council. Jasny said the move is an abuse of the panel's original purpose, which he said was intended for only the most extreme circumstances.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth initiated the panel's use, asserting that the ongoing war in the Persian Gulf is threatening America's oil supply.
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The decision follows U.S. and Israeli military action against Iran beginning Feb. 28, with direct strikes targeting major facilities in the country. Those attacks have since expanded into a regional conflict that has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz to the U.S., Israel and their allies. The Strait is a vital artery for global oil transit.
The Gulf of Mexico is a major source of U.S. oil production but is also home to several endangered species, including sea turtles and a rare whale species believed to be on the brink of extinction.
ABC7 Eyewitness News first reported last year that environmental groups in California were growing concerned the administration might invoke the panel's powers to justify additional drilling to bolster domestic oil supplies.
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"The endangered species that live off of California will be at risk if they try to do it in California. And I think if they tried to do it in the Gulf of Mexico, they're going to try it elsewhere," said Beth Lowell of the environmental nonprofit Oceana.
Administration actions are already drawing scrutiny. At least one oil pipeline off the California coast has been ordered to reopen under an emergency order, a move state officials say could increase the risk of a dangerous spill that could devastate coastal wildlife.
"The fact that they were able to exempt Tuesday, oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico from the Endangered Species Act, I think, is a real question that we should all be asking ourselves of what's coming next," Lowell added.
The administration has also issued executive orders, carried out by the Bureau of Reclamation, directing the release of additional water for farmers from federally controlled dams in California. Some critics say invoking the so-called God Squad could make it harder for states to sue over issues such as water quality and endangered species protections.
Jasny said legal challenges are forthcoming.
"Yeah, we are, certainly, going to challenge this action in the courts. No question," he said.
During his final days in office, former President Joe Biden sought to ban new offshore oil and gas drilling in most U.S. coastal waters, citing the climate crisis. President Donald Trump reversed that policy, making increased fossil fuel production a central focus of his second term.
Trump has pushed to open new areas of the Gulf, including waters off the Florida coast, to drilling and has proposed sweeping rollbacks of environmental regulations opposed by the oil and gas industry.
