Federal ‘God squad’ exempts oil and gas drilling in Gulf of Mexico from endangered species rules

Critics say exemption exploits White House’s ‘self-made gas crisis’, and could doom the rare Rice’s whale

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A US government panel on Tuesday exempted oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from the Endangered Species Act (ESA), a move which critics say could doom a rare whale species and harm other marine life.

The Endangered Species Committee – which had not convened in more than three decades – voted to approve the request for the ESA exemption at the request of the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth.