Group Says “God Squad” Meeting Ignores Procedures Set By Law

As the Trump administration prepares to convene the Endangered Species Committee, also known as the Extinction Committee or the “God Squad,” conservation groups are expressing anger over what they call an “illegal end-run around” that doesn’t seem to be following clear procedures set forth in the law. The committee is planning to discuss exemptions for Gulf of Mexico oil and gas activities from the requirements of the Endangered Species Act.

The Center for Biological Diversity points out that offshore drilling in the Gulf could doom America’s only endemic whale — the entire population of Rice’s whales, about 51 whales, live only in the Gulf — and sea turtles that depend on Gulf beaches for nesting.

The committee is rarely invoked and last convened under George H.W. Bush. It is so rarely called upon because it can meet only in narrow circumstances under the law.

The law sets forth a complex, multi-step process for meetings of the God Squad. It can convene only within 90 days of the completion of a Biological Opinion that both finds jeopardy and determines there are no reasonable alternatives. The Interior Secretary must also determine that the applicant acted in good faith, completed required assessments, and avoided irreversible resource commitments. There are specific timing and notice requirements.

The Center says the notice issued by Interior lacks the required details and does not comply with the Act’s procedural requirements. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has also released no details about the scope or the exemption request or the applicant — all of which are required under the Endangered Species Act.

The Interior Secretary must also convene a formal hearing on the application and prepare a report that describes alternatives to the project, the extent of alternative actions that can be taken consistent with conserving the species, and an assessment as to whether the action is in the public interest.

The law requires that these committee meetings include an open and transparent public hearing, which must collect evidence, including witness testimony, and be conducted by an independent administrative law judge. The department is planning to restrict public participation by only offering to livestream the event despite the law’s requirements.

Judicial review of any decision of the God Squad is expressly provided under the Endangered Species Act.

“This is a lawless and authoritarian administration, so it isn’t surprising that Secretary Burgum is trying to condemn our nation’s marine wildlife to extinction and ignore the clear rules for how the Extinction Committee must behave,” said Brett Hartl, government affairs director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “We will be there every step of the way through this lawless process, and we’ll take legal action to overrule this kangaroo court.”