March 31 - A federal Endangered Species Committee is scheduled to meet on Tuesday to consider whether oil and gas operators working in the Gulf of Mexico should receive exemptions from provisions of the Endangered Species Act that protect species such as whales, sea turtles and birds.
The meeting marks the committee's first convening in more than 30 years and comes as part of an effort by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration to roll back regulations it contends inhibit domestic energy production. The panel, commonly referred to as the "God Squad" because it has the authority to grant ESA exemptions, has met only a handful of times since its establishment in 1978.
The committee was ordered to meet at least quarterly by Executive Order last year, and this session was called by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. The meeting will be broadcast online beginning at 9:30 a.m. local time (1430 GMT).
In court filings submitted last week in a lawsuit brought by an environmental organization, the administration stated that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth requested the meeting, citing national security concerns that were not disclosed in the filings. Under the Endangered Species Act, an exemption may be granted if the Defense Secretary determines it is necessary for national security - a provision that, according to filings, has not previously been tested.
Steve Mashuda, an attorney with Earthjustice who concentrates on ocean litigation, said the oil and gas industry itself has not previously sought such an exemption. "That’s largely because it’s not needed," Mashuda said. "There’s no evidence that the Endangered Species Act is constraining oil and gas activities in the Gulf in any way." Oil and gas industry groups did not provide comment.
The endangered Rice’s whale has been central to litigation around oil and gas exploration in the Gulf in recent years. A federal environmental analysis released last year concluded that vessel strikes associated with oil and gas drilling are likely to threaten the whale's continued existence.
Requests for comment from both the Interior Department and the Defense Department did not receive responses. Separately, President Trump has ordered the Defense Department to be renamed the Department of War, a change that would require congressional action.
As Interior secretary, Burgum serves as a permanent member of the Endangered Species Committee. Other permanent federal members include the secretaries of Agriculture and the Army, the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, and the administrators of the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Context note - The committee's rare convening and the administration's stated objective of reducing regulatory burdens on energy producers frame the upcoming deliberations. The filings and statements cited above indicate the administration is invoking national security as the rationale for the Defense Secretary's request, though details of those concerns were not disclosed in court papers.