Galveston activists sue over Endangered Species Act exemption for oil and

AP Photo/Eric Gay, File

Environmental activists in Galveston have joined a lawsuit against the Trump administration after its decision to exempt oil and gas companies from adhering to protections under the long-standing Endangered Species Act.

Trump administration officials within the Endangered Species Committee voted unanimously on the exemption last week after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth triggered the vote, citing “national security” reasons.

Joanie Steinhaus, ocean program director for Turtle Island Restoration Network, an ocean conservation nonprofit that has a main office in Galveston, said the exemption would leave a number of Gulf species and ecosystems unprotected and vulnerable to extinction, including the critically endangered Rice’s whale and the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle.

“To think that … because of actions of this committee that we can see species go extinct in our lifetime, it’s truly unbelievable and devastating to me,” Steinhaus said.

Previously, under Endangered Species Act protections, oil and gas companies were asked to protect Gulf species by refraining from putting trash into the Gulf and suspending their use of loud technology around whales, according to NPR.

In response to a request for comment on the lawsuit, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers reiterated the administration’s assertions that the exemption was needed to protect national security.

“The Endangered Species Committee, more popularly known as the ‘God Squad,’ has full authority to grant exemptions to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) requirements,” Rogers said. “The Secretary of War determined that the oil and gas production in the Gulf of America required an exemption under the ESA as it is necessary and essential to the United States’ national security. As authorized under the ESA, the Committee unanimously voted to grant an exemption to Gulf of America oil and gas activities from the ESA so that America’s energy streams would not be disrupted or held hostage.”

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The American Petroleum Institute, a national organization representing the oil and gas industry, said there’s a need to balance energy production and wildlife protection.

“Our industry has a long track record of protecting wildlife while developing offshore energy responsibly,” spokesperson Andrea Woods said in a statement. “Over the long term, American energy leadership depends on getting that balance right through reasonable, science-based protections while meeting growing energy demand.”

Skip York, a nonresident fellow in energy and global oil at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, said while the policy change has created a stir, it might not have much of an impact on drilling in the Gulf.

“If you look at the…