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Judge Lets Rare ‘God Squad’ Meeting Proceed on Gulf Drilling Exemption Bid

The ruling clears the way for a rare Endangered Species Committee session that could waive wildlife safeguards for Gulf drilling on a national security claim.

FILE - A supply vessel boat sits near an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Louisiana. April 10, 2011. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)
FILE - A man fishes near docked oil drilling platforms May 8, 2020, in Port Aransas, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
FILE - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listens as President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, March 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
FILE - An oil tanker passes at sunrise while a man fishes in Port Aransas, Texas, Aug. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Overview

  • District Judge Rudolph Contreras ruled Friday that Interior can hold the Endangered Species Committee meeting on Tuesday to consider the Pentagon’s request.
  • The Justice Department told the court the Endangered Species Act procedures do not apply because Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth invoked national security, and it said records will post Tuesday with the meeting livestreamed.
  • The Center for Biological Diversity sued this month to block the session, saying Interior skipped required steps such as an administrative-law-judge hearing, a public process, and proper timing after a biological opinion.
  • Environmental groups warn a blanket waiver could endanger Gulf species, pointing to the Rice’s whale with about 50 known animals, and they plan protests and more lawsuits if protections are lifted.
  • The Endangered Species Committee, often called the God Squad, has met only three times since 1978 and granted two exemptions, and legal experts say the national security provision has never been used.