On Tuesday, March 31st, the “God Squad” met to decide the fates of numerous species in the Gulf of Mexico. If you aren’t familiar with the “God Squad”, allow me to introduce the Endangered Species Committee, a group of high level federal officials that hold the power to waive restrictions in the Endangered Species Act, letting a species go extinct, in order to complete a specific project.
In a meeting that lasted 16 minutes, the “God Squad” voted 6-0 to allow the extinction of whales, sea turtles, manatees, manta rays, sharks, and many others that pose a threat to offshore oil drilling. In their brief meeting, they did not mention the names of any species that would be at risk of death, but they did mention the cost of gas due to the war with Iran.
By giving Big Oil and powerful corporations the permission to kill living organisms that dare to mess with oil production, the United States government has decided the destruction of an already at-risk ecosystem due to oil spills and pollution is worth less than economic gain. The Gulf of Mexico is home to twenty at-risk species, including the rice’s whale, of which there are only fifty left.
Some people have noted the irony of the “God Squad” making this decision just before Easter, the Christian holiday celebrating Jesus Christ. If our government had an overtly flippant attitude towards the destruction of an entire species for personal gain, what else would they allow?
Iliana Martinez
Staff Reporter
