A US government panel has voted to exempt oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from decades-old legislation designed to protect endangered species like rare whales, birds, and sea turtles.

The six-person committee, dubbed the “God Squad”, convened at the request of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Speaking on Tuesday, Hegseth said the exemption was critical for US national security, given “recent hostile action” by the Iranian government. 

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 is a landmark US federal law designed to protect plants and animals at risk of extinction and the ecosystems they depend on. 

A rarely used “God squad” provision in the ESA allows a president to convene a committee of agency heads empowered to effectively veto protections for species on the brink of extinction.

Chaired by the interior secretary Doug Burgum, the panel voted unanimously to approve the exemption – only the third time in its 53-year history.

The Gulf of Mexico is home to at least 19 other threatened and endangered species, including various types of turtles, the giant manta ray and mountainous star coral.

Oil and gas companies did not ask for the exemption, which raises questions over why it is being requested, said Brett Hartl, Center for Biological Diversity or directly to its government affairs director.

Gas and oil prices have skyrocketed since the US-Israel war on Iran began, leading some campaigners to say the Trump administration’s claim there is a national security threat is self-constructed nonsense. 

“What is the threat here? Or is the main threat to Donald Trump’s abysmal polling numbers? This is performative and it’s red meat being thrown to the far-right and industry,” Hartl told The Guardian.

Environmental groups have tried to sue to stop the vote, on the grounds that it could push species, like the Rice’s Whale, into extinction. The whale is only known to live in the Gulf of Mexico, and only 51 Rice’s Whales remain in the wild.

A collective letter signed by 65 organisations – including Surfrider Foundation, Oceana, and Earth Justice – has been sent directly to Secretary Doug Burgum at the Department of the Interior, opposing the exemption.

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