Gulf Drilling Exemption Passed, Critics Worry

0:00It's March 31st. I'm Cory with the story, and this is Canada News Today. Local news powered by AI. A U.S. government panel just gave oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico a big pass from the Endangered Species Act. Defense Secretary Pete Hakeseth push for it, saying lawsuits from environmental groups could cripple the nation's energy supply. This rare committee, called the God Squad, had it met in over 30 years and includes top Trump officials like Interior Secretary Doug Burgham. The move comes amid global oil chaos from the Iran War, with threats to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz driving up prices. Hakeseth argued that boosting domestic production in the Gulf, which supplies over 10% of U.S. crude, is a national security must. Disruptions there only help our enemies, he said. Critics are fired up, warning this could wipe out the Endangered Rice's Whale and hurt sea turtles, sturgeon, and other marine life. The Gulf's history of spills, like the massive deepwater horizon disaster and a recent one

1:01covering hundreds of miles, makes the risks real. Experts say the whale situation is already on the edge. Just this week, the committee all votes in favor approve the exemption after a federal judge struck down some old Trump-era species protections. This follows fresh nods to projects like BP's $5 billion deepwater drill. As Trump ramps up fossil fuels in his second term, eyes stay on the go for more drilling winds and the fallout for wildlife. We'll keep tracking how this plays out.