There are only about 51 Rice’s whales left in the world.

Now, the Trump administration is moving to weaken the very protections that stand between this species and extinction.

A rarely used federal committee known as the “God Squad” is being convened with the power to override the Endangered Species Act, one of the nation’s most important environmental laws. This authority has been used only a handful of times in decades. Using it now to benefit oil and gas development in the Gulf of Mexico risks setting a dangerous and irreversible precedent.

At the same time, new offshore drilling projects are moving forward in the same waters these whales depend on to survive.

This is not a theoretical risk. Federal analysis has already warned that oil and gas activity in this region could push the Rice’s whale toward extinction without strong protections in place.

We cannot allow short-term political and economic decisions to override the long-term survival of an entire species.

The Endangered Species Act was created to prevent exactly this kind of outcome. It is not meant to be bypassed when it becomes inconvenient.

We are calling on the Department of the Interior, the Endangered Species Committee, NOAA Fisheries, and Congress to reject any attempt to weaken protections for endangered species in the Gulf. Do not grant exemptions that could push species like the Rice’s whale closer to extinction. Uphold the law, follow the science, and ensure that these decisions are made transparently and responsibly.

If this precedent is set, it will not stop here. Other species, in other places, will face the same risk.

Once a species disappears, there is no second chance.

We still have a choice. Act now to protect it.