A court battle has begun after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared offshore oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico necessary for national security and received an exemption from endangered species protections. File Photo by Tannen Maury/EPA
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared offshore oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico necessary for national security and received an exemption from endangered species protections — which a a conservation group maintains violated U.S. law.
The lawsuit, filed by the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeks to block the exemption, alleging federal officials bypassed key requirements under the Endangered Species Act when convening the Endangered Species Committee, known as the “God Squad.”
According to court filings, the Interior Department moved forward without a formal exemption request.
“The department of the Interior did not receive an exemption application,” the complaint states. “Instead, the department acted on a notification from the secretary of defense.”
Plaintiffs argue that without a formal application, the committee lacked authority to proceed. The lawsuit further states that “Defendants’ actions are unlawful and in excess of their statutory authority.”
Hegseth defended the request during the committee’s meeting, saying “recent hostile action” by the Iranian government highlighted the need to secure domestic energy supplies.
The Endangered Species Committee, a panel of political appointees with authority to override species protections in rare cases, met Tuesday for the first time in 34 years and voted unanimously to grant the exemption. It was only the third time since 1978 that the body has convened.
Environmental groups warn the decision could push vulnerable species closer to extinction, including the Rice’s whale, of which only about 50 remain in the wild.
Earthjustice, a nonprofit public interest environmental law organization, said the exemption removes key safeguards for marine life in the Gulf, including whales, sea turtles, manatees, fish, rays, corals and birds.
“The Trump administration is exploiting its self-made gas crisis to get rid of protections for endangered whales and other imperiled species in the Gulf of Mexico,” said Steve Mashuda, managing attorney for Earthjustice’s Oceans Program.
“Gulf communities know what unrestrained drilling will really bring: devastating oil spills and the destruction of ecosystems and coastal economies,” he said.
Oil spills have already caused renewed damage in the Gulf this year. Since early February, a hydrocarbon spill off Mexico’s coast has yet to be linked to a confirmed cause by authorities, even as cleanup crews have removed 800 tons of tar from affected shorelines.
Local media report the contamination has disrupted activity for more than 50,000 licensed fishermen, underscoring ongoing environmental risks tied to offshore operations.
Industry representatives say offshore oil production can be conducted responsibly while meeting energy demand, though environmental groups dispute that claim.
Earthjustice also questioned the economic rationale behind the exemption, noting the United States already is the world’s top producer of oil and gas.
“Exempting the oil industry’s Gulf of Mexico operations from the Endangered Species Act will not reduce prices at the pump,” the organization said.
