If these whales go extinct, we’ll know who to blame

Vox • March 31, 2026 • nation

Key Points:

Rice’s whale, one of the world’s rarest marine mammals with only 51 individuals left, was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 2019 to protect it from threats posed by the Gulf of Mexico’s oil and gas industry.
The ESA requires federal agencies to ensure their actions do not threaten protected species, but the Trump administration has shown a tendency to weaken these protections, especially in areas with active oil and gas operations.
In a rare move, the “God Squad,” a federal committee with the power to override the ESA, unanimously voted to exempt Gulf oil and gas activities from ESA protections, citing national security concerns related to oil production for the military.
Critics argue that the exemption disregards the ESA’s actual requirements, which do not ban drilling but mandate measures to minimize harm to species like Rice’s whale, and warn this decision risks pushing the species toward extinction.
Environmental groups plan to challenge the exemption legally, but in the meantime, Rice’s whales face increased threats as protections are rolled back amid ongoing oil and gas exploitation in their habitat.

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