Trump administration seeks to override species act.

The Trump administration is reportedly considering using the "God Squad," a rarely convened committee, to override the Endangered Species Act for all federally regulated offshore oil production in the Gulf of Mexico. This move, framed as a national security measure, aims to exempt oil and gas operations from environmental protections, potentially impacting endangered species like sea turtles and a critically low whale population. Environmental groups are challenging the decision, arguing that increased oil production is unlikely to benefit national security and that this bypasses established procedures for such exemptions.