The #Biden admin had sought to restrict #oil & #gas activity in the gulf by seeking to declare nearly 30k square miles as critical #habitat for the #RicesWhale species, at the urging of marine scientists. The 2023 proposal was never finalized.

The exemption will nevertheless have outsize impact on #EndangeredSpecies because #oil companies will not need to make efforts to limit their impacts on them.

#Trump #law #EnvironmentalLaw #conservation #wildlife #MarineLife #FossilFuels #ClimateChange

The committee led by #Trump’s #interior secretary voted Tuesday to exempt #oil & #gas companies from complying with the #EndangeredSpeciesAct when #drilling in the #GulfOfMexico, a move expected to threaten #RicesWhale & other #species with #extinction.

Meeting for the first time in more than 30 years, the group nicknamed for its ability to decide the fate of species, approved the exemption on [bullshit] “#NationalSecurity” grounds in a discussion that took about 15 minutes.

#law #MarineLife