Trump administration lifts endangered species protections in Gulf of America to boost drilling

The Endangered Species Committee has voted to lift protections for endangered species in the Gulf of America in a bid to facilitate greater offshore oil and gas drilling. 

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum led a meeting Tuesday in which the committee voted unanimously to exempt all oil and gas drilling activities in what was previously known as the Gulf of Mexico from Endangered Species Act requirements. The committee, also known as the “God Squad,” has the authority to lift rules meant to prevent animals or plants from going extinct. 

The committee has five other members: the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of the Army, the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The meeting marks the first time the committee has convened in more than 30 years. 

The meeting was prompted by a request from