Rice’s Whale Endangerment Halts Trump Gulf Drilling Expansion as ‘God Squad’ Considers Exemption

Key facts

• Rice’s whale, recognised as a distinct species in 2021, numbers fewer than 100 and lives year-round in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico at depths of 100–400 m.
• The whale feeds almost exclusively on silver-rag driftfish, undertakes strenuous daytime dives, rests near the surface at night, and is vulnerable to vessel strikes and noise pollution.
• The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill killed a significant portion of the already-small Rice’s whale population.
• The Trump administration’s drilling plan targets about 1.27 billion acres of U.S. federal Gulf waters and is backed by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act mandating at least 30 offshore lease sales over the next 15 years.
• Interior Secretary Doug Burgum convened the seven-member Endangered Species Committee, nicknamed the God Squad, which can exempt projects from Endangered Species Act protections if five votes find net economic benefit.
• The committee has issued exemptions only twice since its 1978 creation: once for a Platte River dam affecting whooping cranes and once for northern spotted owl logging that was later withdrawn after litigation.
• Environmental groups including the Center for Biological Diversity filed emergency lawsuits to block the God Squad meeting scheduled for Tuesday, 31 March 2026.