U.S. panel exempts Gulf drilling from endangered species rules
(Bloomberg) – The Endangered Species Committee, a little-used panel of U.S. senior federal agency leaders, voted on Tuesday morning to exempt oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of America/Gulf of Mexico from sweeping endangered species protections, citing reasons of national security.
This is the first time the committee, also dubbed the 'God Squad,' has met in more than 30 years. The God Squad has only previously issued exemptions twice before, and never for reasons of national security, thrusting the process into unprecedented territory.
Under the Endangered Species Act, “the committee shall grant an exemption for any agency action if the Secretary of War finds that such an exemption is necessary for reasons of national security,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, who chairs it. “Those findings have been presented to this committee.” He then held a voice vote, where all six permanent members of the committee voted to approve the exemption.
The God Squad, a group that has the power to effectively condemn a species to extinction if environmental protections are revoked, also includes Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll, the Council of Economic Advisers’ Acting Chair Pierre Yared, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator Neil Jacobs. They were joined at the Tuesday meeting by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
