House Democrats are spearheading legislation to restore Endangered Species Act protections in the Gulf of Mexico, in the latest bid to walk back exemptions for oil and gas drilling projects handed out by the “God Squad” earlier this year.
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) introduced the “Protect Gulf Life Act” on Thursday, which would nullify a decision from the Endangered Species Committee, which is nicknamed the “God Squad” for its ability to effectively condemn a species to extinction.
The Trump administration convened the committee in March for the first time in more than three decades, when it opted to exempt 600,000 square miles worth of drilling projects from ESA protections citing “national security” concerns. Those concerns were centered largely on lawsuits that the Defense Department asserted were “beginning to chill oil and gas development.”
“Congress did not establish the Endangered Species Committee to give out sweeping exemptions to special interests, and this abuse of power is another corrupt handout to benefit industry at the expense of threatened species,” Beyer, co-chair of the Congressional ESA Caucus, said in a statement.
