Trump administration officials voted unanimously to exempt oil and gas industries in the Gulf of Mexico from requirements of the Endangered Species Act, which lifts protections for endangered whales, turtles and other distinct species that are threatened by extinction.
Up until this point, oil and gas companies were required by federal agencies to ensure their operations did not harm animals living in the Gulf by properly managing their trash, as well as suspending their use of disruptive technology when looking for whales.
According to NPR, “One species of Gulf whale is particularly vulnerable. Scientists estimate that only about 51 Rice’s whales are left on Earth, all of them in waters of the Gulf of Mexico, which the Trump administration has termed the Gulf of America.”
It is so upsetting that these animals and their habitats are being disrespected when there are ways to work around this. I am in full support of the Endangered Species Act, which is a law in the United States that protects and conserves endangered species. Everyone is born with a heart, but not all people are capable of feeling the same emotions so deeply. It breaks my heart that getting rid of this act was even considered and has now come to fruition.
NPR also reports Dr. Nield Jacobs, the NOAA’s Under Secretary of Commerce, explained that oil and gas companies will no longer be adhering to protections. This significantly impacts Rice’s whales and all other animals that were previously protected by the Endangered Species Act.
I have a lot of trouble understanding the reasoning behind eliminating these protections. Every animal is important to our ecosystem to maintain balance. Since there are only 51 Rice’s whales left on Earth and they all remain in the Gulf of Mexico, it baffles me that we are not trying to protect them and instead are disregarding them and continuing to contribute heavily to their extinction.
“Conservation and pro-democracy groups called the vote ‘illegal’ and characterized the national security justification as a manufactured threat,” reports NPR.
I agree with this entirely, as it poses huge risks to the environment, as if there are not already enough environmental risks with everything happening in the world right now. I understand that the oil and gas industry is one of the wealthiest industries on Earth, so I know the need for production is great. These whales are among some of the most endangered. With their protections lifted, it’s going to be difficult to save them.
I think it is essential to note that NPR writes, “The energy industry has been accused of causing the whales harm before. After the Deepwater Horizon spill leaked more than 200 million gallons of BP’s oil into the Gulf in 2010, covering about half of the Rice’s whale habitat, the Rice’s whale population declined by as much as 22%. The number of existing whales is so low that scientists have warned the loss of a single additional whale could endanger future reproduction and tip the species toward extinction.”
My values align with prioritizing conservation, so these statistics are frightening. An industry this wealthy should be using its resources to ensure its practices are ethical. It is not like they don’t have the funds to do so.
Getting rid of these protections is reckless and will cause more harm than good. These industries make it very hard to protect species that are at risk and this instance highlights the need for stronger protections. The losses at stake are irreversible.
Ali Barretta can be contacted at
