Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Restore Endangered Species Protections in Gulf of Mexico - Oceana USA

Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Restore Endangered Species Protections in Gulf of Mexico

Press Release Date: May 21, 2026

Location: WASHINGTON

Contact:

Erin Vande Ven | email: EVandeVen@oceana.org | tel: 303.829.3877

Today, Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) introduced the “Protect Gulf Life Act,” which would nullify the federal Endangered Species Committee’s decision to remove threatened and endangered species protections in the Gulf of Mexico to make way for offshore oil and gas drilling.

In March, the committee – also known as the “God Squad” – unilaterally eliminated Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for species in the Gulf that could be harmed by oil and gas activities, after the Secretary of Defense declared the exemption was needed for reasons of “national security.” In addition to reversing this decision, the new bill would prohibit revisiting the issue for three years after it is enacted.

The Gulf of Mexico is home to 20 threatened and endangered species, including sea turtles, sturgeon, manta rays, sharks, and whales such as the critically endangered Rice’s whale.

“The Protect Gulf Life Act is the kind of courage our most endangered species need right now,” said Oceana Campaign Manager Julia Singer. “This bill would put a stop to the reckless move by the Trump administration to put short-term profits over entire species’ survival. When a species is gone, it’s gone. The Endangered Species Act is the safeguard against that calamitous and entirely avoidable outcome. With this act, we can ensure species like the Rice’s whale live to see another day. We commend Representative Beyer for his leadership on this issue and urge Congress to join in the overwhelming public support for these protections by passing this bill.”

Background

The Endangered Species Committee is made up of federal officials, including the Secretaries of the Interior, Agriculture, and Army; the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers; and the Administrators of the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Committee is also meant to include representatives from affected states. The exemption process allows economic impacts to be considered a factor that could outweigh protections provided by the ESA . The Committee has only met four times in the nearly 50 years since its establishment.  

The ESA is one of our nation’s most successful and popular laws. Passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in 1973, the law has prevented 99% of the species under its care from going extinct. The ESA is a success story – without it, we likely would have lost many important marine species to extinction, including southern sea otters, green sea turtles, blue whales, and Chinook salmon.  Hundreds of species are on the path to recovery thanks to the ESA. Decades of public polling have demonstrated strong bipartisan support for the law.