Judge wont block meeting that could exempt Gulf drilling from Endangered Species Act

A judge ruled Friday that the Trump administration can hold a meeting next week to seek exemptions from the Endangered Species Act on the basis of national security For expanded oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

District of Columbia District Judge Rudolph Contreras denied the Center for Biological Diversity’s request to postpone the Interior Department’s upcoming Endangered Species Committee meeting.

The committee will meet Tuesday to seek exemptions from endangered species laws, which make it illegal to harm or kill a protected-listed species without a viable alternative, for national security purposes, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has suggested.

In his request for the meeting to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Hegseth called for exemptions for “all oil and gas exploration and development activities in the Gulf of America” overseen by federal agencies, according to a Justice Department filing. The request comes at a time when the world is experiencing oil shocks and rising energy prices during the US-Iran war.

The committee, made up of six top federal officials and one representative of the relevant states, has been dubbed the “God Team” by environmental groups who say its actions could essentially determine the fate of an endangered species. It has met only three times in its nearly 50-year history, and the national security provision has never been invoked.

The Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit earlier this month, saying Burgum did not meet the requirements or legal basis to convene the committee. While seeking an interim restraining order, the Center argued that the actions the government will decide on next week could cause irreparable harm. Environmental groups are particularly concerned about the Rice whale, of which there are only about 50 whales left in the Gulf.

Government lawyers argued in court that the environmental group was appealing an exemption decision that had not yet been granted and said the government’s reasoning for the exemption would be detailed next week.

The judge said the center did not meet the high standard required to issue a temporary restraining order.

Brett Hartl, director of government affairs at the Center for Biological Diversity, called it disappointing that the court “did not immediately put an end to Hegseth’s reckless power grab.”

“We will be in front of the Department of the Interior on Tuesday to protest this outrageous abuse by Trump’s eradication committee. We will absolutely be back in court to save the Rice whale and all wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico from being driven to extinction by the oil industry,” he said.

The Home Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Environmental groups say the administration is seeking the exemption to avoid the intensive process required for an Endangered Species Act exemption. They say such an exemption could set a dangerous precedent for future fossil fuel projects.

The Gulf has long been affected by the environmental damage that oil can bring. One Oil spill in the Gulf Earlier this month, it spread 373 miles (600 kilometers), causing contamination of at least six species and contaminating seven protected natural reserves. BPs Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010 It caused havoc in the Gulf, spilling 134 million gallons of oil and destroying life in the area. The administration approved BP’s new $5 billion ultra-deepwater drilling project in the Gulf just weeks ago.

Alexa St. John is a climate correspondent for the Associated Press. Follow him on X: @alexa_stjohn. Reach him at ast.john@ap.org.