Header Image: Aerial view of a Rice’s whale in the Gulf of Mexico. Image: NOAA/ NEFSC
While tensions with Iran have dominated headlines, the Trump administration has launched another war — this one against some of the most endangered marine species on Earth.
Using war with Iran as cover, the Trump administration invoked the rarely-used Endangered Species Committee (known by some as the ‘God Squad’)— on endangered sea turtles and whales in the Gulf of Mexico–and we’ve taken them to Court.
This little-used provision of the Endangered Species Act will strip federal protections from Rice’s whales and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico. That is why we are in Court. Here’s why it matters — and why it should alarm every American.
What Is the God Squad?
The Endangered Species Committee — nicknamed the “God Squad” because of its power to decide which species live or die — was established in 1978 as an emergency escape valve. The law permits its use only under a narrow set of conditions: there must be no reasonable alternatives to the proposed action, the benefits must clearly outweigh the cost to the species, and the action must serve a genuine public interest of regional or national significance.
In the 47 years since its creation, the God Squad has met only three times. First, in 1979, it was called to weigh the construction of the Tellico Dam against the survival of a small fish called the snail darter — and even then, the committee denied the exemption. In 1992, the first Bush administration invoked it over logging conflicts with the spotted owl; exemptions were granted for limited timber sales, but courts later reversed the decision.
The Trump administration’s current invocation meets none of the legal thresholds. The United States is already extracting record amounts of petroleum in the Gulf. Decades of regulatory practice have demonstrated that there are ready-made, reasonable alternatives that allow drilling to continue while providing some protection for species. There is no irreconcilable conflict here — only a manufactured one.
What Is Actually at Stake
The Rice’s whale exists nowhere else on Earth. With roughly 50 individuals remaining, it is among the most critically endangered whales on the planet, and oil and gas activity is its primary threat. The Gulf is also home to sperm whales, blue whales, sei whales, and North Atlantic right whales — all federally listed as endangered — as well as the threatened West Indian manatee. All five sea turtle species found in Gulf waters, including the Kemp’s ridley, the world’s most endangered sea turtle, would lose meaningful federal protection under this exemption.
These are not abstract losses. The Gulf’s marine ecosystem underpins a multi-billion-dollar fishing and seafood industry. The same waters that sustain these species sustain thousands of fishing families and coastal communities. Unregulated oil and gas activity doesn’t just threaten wildlife — it threatens livelihoods and public health.
Follow the Money
The administration has framed this as a matter of national security, invoking recent high oil process and the conflict with Iran as justification. It isn’t. The United States is a net exporter of petroleum. Only about 8% of our oil imports come from the Middle East, and none from Iran. The national security rationale is nothing more than a flimsy pretext, not a genuine basis for legitimate action.
The more plausible explanation lies in campaign finance records. In 2024, President Trump publicly told oil industry executives that a $1 billion contribution to his election efforts would be rewarded with fast-tracked drilling. What followed was approximately $800 million flowing into his presidential campaign, Republican election efforts, and his inaugural fund from energy interests. The God Squad petition is the apparent return on that investment.
What Comes Next
Congress created the Endangered Species Act in 1973 with overwhelming bipartisan support. It remains one of the most effective conservation laws in American history, having helped bring back the bald eagle, the gray whale and the American alligator from the brink of extinction. Using a rarely invoked emergency provision to circumvent it — under a false national security pretext, for the benefit of its oil industry donors — is not only bad conservation policy. It is likely illegal.
Turtle Island Restoration Network and partners, represented by Earthjustice attorneys will be fighting in court to stop it. But the Rice’s whales and the Kemp’s ridley sea turtles need you. Everyone who care about the rule of law — and about what we leave behind for future generations — should contact their senators and representatives and make their opposition known before the damage to these species becomes irreversible. And support Turtle Island Restoration Network with a donation today!
We cannot eat oil. Let’s protect the Gulf’s endangered species and communities reliant on healthy oceans.
