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House to Vote on Gutting Bedrock Endangered Species Act
As the nation celebrates Earth Day this week, the House of Representatives will cast an historic vote on a bill to eviscerate the Endangered Species Act, which was enacted more than 50 years ago to protect America’s wildlife from extinction.
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Sec. of Defense Invokes False “National Security” Rationale to Eviscerate Endangered Species Act Protections for Wildlife in the Gulf
In a litigation filing yesterday in federal district court, the Trump administration publicly admitted for the first time that Interior Secretary Doug Burgum scheduled a snap meeting of the Endangered Species Committee (the “God Squad”) for March 31 at the request of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
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Trump Administration Calls on “God Squad” to Weaken Endangered Species Act Protections
The Trump administration today announced its intent to convene the Endangered Species Committee — colloquially known as the “God Squad”— on March 31, 2026, to consider an exemption under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for oil and gas-related activities in the Gulf of Mexico.
More Sea Turtles Press Releases
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Conservation Groups File Lawsuit Challenging Elimination of Critical North Carolina Protections for Sea Turtles and Fish
Today Defenders of Wildlife, Cape Fear River Watch, and North Carolina Wildlife Federation, represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), filed a challenge against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ unlawful decision to eliminate highly successful seasonal limitations on hopper dredging projects that have protected sea turtles, fish species and other marine life for decades.
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Tampa Bay’s Catastrophic Red Tide Could Preview Florida’s Future
A large outbreak of highly toxic algae or “red tide” continues to impact Gulf Coast communities in Southwest Florida, resulting in the deaths of over 1,500 tons of marine life and fish, including manatees, goliath groupers, dolphins and endangered sea turtles along St. Petersburg and Pinellas County beaches.
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Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles Face Greater Threats From National Parks Funding Cuts in Texas
Despite public opinion and science, the Biden administration continues to implement harmful Trump-era cuts to the Sea Turtle Science and Recovery Program (STSR) at Texas’ Padre Island National Seashore (PAIS), leaving endangered sea turtles even more vulnerable.
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Groups File Third Intervention Defending Pause on Federal Oil, Gas Leasing
Conservation groups moved today to intervene in a lawsuit defending the Biden administration’s decision to pause new federal oil and gas leasing while it reviews the government leasing program.
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Groups Sue to Prevent Imperiled Sea Turtles From Drowning in Fishing Nets
Conservation groups filed a lawsuit today to prevent sea turtles from drowning when they get caught in shrimp trawl nets in the Gulf of Mexico and southeast Atlantic.
jcovey@defenders.org
