April 3, 2026 update: The Endangered Species Committee met on March 31, 2026, and voted unanimously to exempt oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico from the Endangered Species Act’s requirements, relying on a national security finding by the Secretary of Defense. That finding was based on the effects of litigation by environmental organizations, which the Secretary stated has caused uncertainty that threatens military operations and readiness.
Read EELP’s quick take explaining the finding, the committee’s decision, and the legal challenges already filed.
On March 16, 2026, the Department of the Interior announced that the Endangered Species Committee — a body, sometimes called the “God Squad,” that has not convened in more than 30 years — will hold a meeting to consider an Endangered Species Act exemption “with respect to oil and gas exploration, development, and production activities” in the Gulf of Mexico. The committee has the power to exempt certain activities from the Act’s prohibition on federal actions that could jeopardize the continued existence of an endangered or threatened species. It ordinarily meets only to consider an application for such an exemption, and none is pending.
The Department of the Interior has made clear in a court filing that the committee is meeting to consider a broad exemption for a swath of oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico based on a determination by the Secretary of Defense that the exemption is necessary for national security reasons. This exemption has never been invoked, and there are significant questions about how it functions and how opponents of its use may challenge it.
This analysis looks at how the Endangered Species Act works (including the exemption process), how this meeting diverges from past practices, and what happens if the Trump administration invokes the national security exemption.