Meet the 'God Squad,' the Powerful Endangered Species Panel That Just Pared Back Protections.

The article focuses on the Endangered Species Committee, known as the "God Squad," which approved an exemption to federal endangered species protections for oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, marking only the third such exemption in its nearly 50-year history. The committee, composed of six high-ranking federal officials, granted the exemption citing national security concerns related to energy production amid geopolitical tensions. This decision has drawn criticism from environmental groups concerned about the impact on at least 20 threatened and endangered species in the Gulf, including the critically endangered Rice's whale. The exemption reflects a broader trend of regulatory rollbacks under the Trump Administration affecting environmental safeguards.