Revision History

A panel of Trump administration officials voted unanimously on March 31, 2026, to exempt all oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico from Endangered Species Act protections — only the third such exemption in the law's nearly 50-year history and the first ever invoked on national security grounds. The decision removes Section 7 consultation requirements that protected roughly 20 threatened and endangered species, including the Rice's whale, of which approximately 51 individuals remain alive, and has already triggered legal challenges from environmental groups.