Trump administration officials will soon consider exempting oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from the Endangered Species Act. The exemption was requested by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who cited unspecified national security concerns. Critics say such a move could doom Gulf populations of endangered Rice's whales.
Trump says he has no problem with a Russian tanker bringing oil to Cuba despite US blockadeStudent shoots a teacher at Texas high school before fatally shooting self, authorities sayNFL set to begin hiring and training replacement officials, AP sources sayMary Beth Hurt, Tony-nominated Broadway and film actor, dies at 79NASA begins the countdown for humanity's first launch to the moon in 53 yearsA red fox stows away on a cargo ship, traveling from England to the USWorries about flying seem to be taking off.
Here's how to cope with in-flight anxietyInspired by Picasso, an AP photographer visualizes a blind person ‘seeing’ artTrump threatens to destroy Iran's desalination plants. Here’s what that could mean for the MideastCorn tortillas in California now must contain folic acid. More states are looking at itWorries about flying seem to be taking off. Here's how to cope with in-flight anxietyJury finds Instagram and YouTube liable in a landmark social media addiction trialDo-it-yourself projects can save money and build confidence, or do the oppositeEl papa León XIV rechaza en Domingo de Ramos las afirmaciones de que Dios justifica la guerraEl papa León XIV rechaza en Domingo de Ramos las afirmaciones de que Dios justifica la guerraLIVE Here's how to cope with in-flight anxietyInspired by Picasso, an AP photographer visualizes a blind person ‘seeing’ artTrump threatens to destroy Iran's desalination plants. Here’s what that could mean for the MideastCorn tortillas in California now must contain folic acid. More states are looking at itWorries about flying seem to be taking off. Here's how to cope with in-flight anxietyJury finds Instagram and YouTube liable in a landmark social media addiction trialDo-it-yourself projects can save money and build confidence, or do the oppositeEl papa León XIV rechaza en Domingo de Ramos las afirmaciones de que Dios justifica la guerraEl papa León XIV rechaza en Domingo de Ramos las afirmaciones de que Dios justifica la guerraClimateAn oil tanker passes at sunrise while a man fishes in Port Aransas, Texas, Aug. 9, 2025. Doug Burgum, Secretary of Interior, delivers speech at the reception of the Indo-Pacific Energy Security Ministerial and Business Forum at U.S. Ambassador’s Residence, March 13, 2026, in Tokyo. A supply vessel boat sits near an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Louisiana. April 10, 2011. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listens as President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, March 24, 2026, in Washington. Clumps of oil residue lie on the shore after fishing outings were suspended because of an oil spill that Mexican authorities said originated from an unidentified vessel and two natural oil seeps along the Gulf coast in Salinas, Mexico, Thursday, March 26, 2026. An oil tanker passes at sunrise while a man fishes in Port Aransas, Texas, Aug. 9, 2025. An oil tanker passes at sunrise while a man fishes in Port Aransas, Texas, Aug. 9, 2025. Doug Burgum, Secretary of Interior, delivers speech at the reception of the Indo-Pacific Energy Security Ministerial and Business Forum at U.S. Ambassador’s Residence, March 13, 2026, in Tokyo. Doug Burgum, Secretary of Interior, delivers speech at the reception of the Indo-Pacific Energy Security Ministerial and Business Forum at U.S. Ambassador’s Residence, March 13, 2026, in Tokyo. A supply vessel boat sits near an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Louisiana. April 10, 2011. A supply vessel boat sits near an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Louisiana. April 10, 2011. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listens as President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, March 24, 2026, in Washington. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listens as President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, March 24, 2026, in Washington. Clumps of oil residue lie on the shore after fishing outings were suspended because of an oil spill that Mexican authorities said originated from an unidentified vessel and two natural oil seeps along the Gulf coast in Salinas, Mexico, Thursday, March 26, 2026. Clumps of oil residue lie on the shore after fishing outings were suspended because of an oil spill that Mexican authorities said originated from an unidentified vessel and two natural oil seeps along the Gulf coast in Salinas, Mexico, Thursday, March 26, 2026. in the Gulf of Mexico from the Endangered Species Act due to unspecified national security concerns, a move critics say could doom a rare whale species and harm other marine life.by groups who say it can decide a species’ fate, the Endangered Species Committee comprises several Trump administration officials and is chaired by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. Republican President Donald Trump has made increased fossil fuel production a central focus of his second term. He wants toDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth notified Burgum on March 13 that an Endangered Species Act exemption for oil and gas drilling in the Gulf was “necessary for reasons of national security,” according to a court filing from the administration. Government officials have not disclosed the rationale for the request, which came amid global oil shocks and soaring energy prices brought on by the Iran war. Experts say the administration must specify the military need that would endanger a species to make a case for the national security exemption. The Gulf of Mexico is one of the nation’s top oil-producing regions. It accounts for more than 10% of crude pumped annually in the U.S., plus a small share of domestic natural gas production.Tuesday’s meeting. They claimed an exemption would doom the rare Rice’s whale to extinction. Only about 50 remain in the Gulf. A judge who struck down the environmentalists’ request suggested it was premature since officials had not yet acted on the proposed exemption. A 2025 National Marine Fisheries Service analysis determined the Gulf oil and gas program was likely to harm several species of whales, sea turtles and Gulf sturgeon that face potential harm from ship strikes, oil spills and other impacts., which makes it illegal to harm or kill species on a protected list, if no alternative would provide the same economic benefits in a region or if it was in the nation’s best interest. The panel has convened just three times in its 53-year history and issued only two exemptions. The first was in 1979 to allow construction on a dam on the Platte River in Wyoming, home to the whooping crane. It last met in 1992, allowing logging in northern spotted owl habitats in Oregon. That exemption request was later withdrawn. Its latest meeting follows a federal judge’s ruling on Monday that struck down attempts during Trump’s first term to weaken rules for endangered species. The panel’s members include the secretaries of agriculture, interior and the Army, the chairperson of the Council of Economic Advisers, and the administrators of both the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.345
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