On Tuesday, March 31, 2026, the Endangered Species Committee acted on a request by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to exempt the oil and gas industry from Endangered Species Act regulations. In a brief 16 minute meeting with no public input and no real discussion, the Committee ruled that litigation by conservation organizations like Healthy Gulf that challenge oil and gas drilling is a threat to national security.
Section 7(j) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) calls for convening the so-called “Extinction Committee” to declare exemptions when the Secretary of Defense determines it is necessary for National Security. This is an unprecedented step and one for which little justification has been provided. In the nearly 50 years that a national security exemption has existed under the Endangered Species Act, it has never been claimed despite U.S. involvement in much larger and more lengthy wars and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Rather than blame the war of choice in Iran, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth instead blamed the organizations who exercise their constitutional right to ensure that environmental laws are upheld and that species protections are being followed, as the National Security threat. No evidence to support this claim was provided, and in fact, fossil fuel energy production is at record highs in the U.S. This action is an egregious abuse of power that will only hurt the Gulf’s species, ecosystems, and communities.
Last week, Healthy Gulf and our partners sued the Trump Administration for abusing the national security exemption under the Endangered Species Act. “The Extinction Committee’s” vote to absolve oil and gas companies from adhering to the Endangered Species Act is an unprecedented decision that will have disastrous consequences for the Gulf,” said Martha Collins, Healthy Gulf Executive Director. “Communities want greater protections for Gulf species, and this is a clear attempt by the Trump administration to silence those voices.”
If litigation to protect our rights makes us a national security threat, this puts all social and environmental movements at risk. This is an unprecedented movement towards authoritarianism.
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