The Trump administration is citing “national security concerns” to justify an exemption from the Endangered Species Act for expanded oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of America, as the war in Iran raises the cost of gas.
In the declaration, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “found it necessary” to make the waiver for oil and gas exploration in the Gulf.
This development comes days before Interior Secretary Doug Burgum convenes the Endangered Species Committee, nicknamed the “God Squad” because of its power to override protections under the Endangered Species Act.
The March 31 meeting’s purpose cites “oil and gas exploration, development, and production activities,” but the Interior Department did not specify what species or projects would be under consideration.
The Center for Biological Diversity recently sued to block the meeting, arguing that the committee had not met public process requirements.
The department’s move signaled alarm bells for environmental groups that say it could set a dangerous precedent for future fossil fuel projects and disregard endangered species, including the Rice’s whale, prompting conservation groups to sue.
The Sierra Club said the administration’s effort is not a response to concerns over domestic supply but is purely a move to drive up fossil fuel industry profits.
“The Trump administration is invoking ‘national security’ to solve a crisis they themselves created. This dangerous abuse of power attempts to hand the oil and gas industry a blank check at the expense of one of the most critically endangered species on the planet,” Sierra Club Executive Director Loren Blackford said in a statement. “This sweeping effort will not solve the affordability crisis this administration has manufactured; it is just another example of how they consistently put polluter profits over people, wildlife, and the law.”
When President Trump returned to the White House for his second term, he declared a “national energy emergency,” calling on the committee to meet quarterly. The upcoming meeting would be the committee’s first.
This move comes as the federal government is looking for ways to ease rising gas prices at the pump as the war with Iran rattles the global oil market.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management also recently made a discrete disclosure that it approved a $5 billion deepwater oil drilling project in the Gulf.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright issued an order to allow for restarting a pipeline off the coast of California that has been kept offline by the state since 2015. And Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the expansion of high-ethanol gasoline to be sold year-round on Wednesday, temporarily waiving volatility requirements and warm-weather restrictions.
• Mary McCue Bell can be reached at mbell@washingtontimes.com.
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