Trump Admin Grants Exemption From Endangered Species Act for Oil, Gas Companies

The Endangered Species Committee, made up largely of Trump appointees, voted to exempt oil and gas companies drilling in the Gulf of America (also known as the Gulf of Mexico) from the Endangered Species Act.

The Details: The committee, chaired by Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, convened on March 31 for the first time in more than 30 years. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told the committee, "Recent hostile action by the Iranian terror regime highlights, yet again, why robust domestic oil production is a national security imperative." 

For Context: NewsNation (Center bias) called the meeting an "extraordinary step" and reported that the exception process has only been used a "handful of times" and that its most recent use was in 1992 over timber sales. However, the Bureau of Land Management withdrew its request for exemption in 1993.

Strained Oil and Gas Supplies: The Epoch Times (Lean Right) highlighted Hegseth's claims that "this is not just about gas prices. It's about our ability to power our military and protect our nation." It also wrote, "Gulf of America oil production also gives the United States a buffer, insulating the economy and the military from foreign instability," and wrote that average gas prices have risen to $4 a gallon since the start of the conflict in Iran.

Harm to Marine Life: The Guardian (Left) noted in its first sentence that critics say the exemption "could doom a rare whale species and harm other marine life." The Guardian reported that only 51 Rice's whales remain and that they are largely endangered due to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. It included quotes from a variety of environmental groups, including Earthjustice, who said, "Secretary Hegseth and his extinction committee claim this will eventually cut costs for cash-strapped Americans, but Gulf communities know what unrestrained drilling will really bring: devastating oil spills and the destruction of ecosystems and coastal economies."

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