WASHINGTON— The Trump administration announced last week that it will convene the Endangered Species Committee, also known as the Extinction Committee, on March 31 to exempt Gulf of Mexico oil and gas activities from the requirements of the Endangered Species Act.

Wildlife face significant threats from offshore drilling, and an exemption 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 Interior Department announcement builds on Trump’s day one national energy emergency executive order that called for quarterly meetings of the Extinction Committee. The rarely invoked Extinction Committee, last convened under George H.W. Bush, can meet only in narrow circumstances. Yet Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has released no details about the scope or the exemption request or the applicant — all of which are required under the Endangered Species Act.

The department also plans to restrict public participation by only offering to livestream the event despite the law’s clear requirements for an open and transparent public hearing.

“The Trump administration is attempting an illegal end-run around the Endangered Species Act to benefit the fossil fuel industry at the expense of Rice’s whales and other wildlife. These endangered animals could be pushed into extinction just to pad the coffers of the largest polluting industry in the world,” said Brett Hartl, government affairs director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The law makes absolutely clear that the Extinction Committee can’t meet in private, but Burgum and the other sycophants of Trump’s cabinet are too cowardly to meet in front of the people. Condemning whales to extinction behind the safety of a web live stream is pathetic, and we’ll be there at the Interior Department in person to protest this illegal action.”

The law sets forth a complex, multi-step process for when the Extinction Committee can meet. 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 notice issued by Interior lacks the required details and does not comply with the Act’s procedural requirements.

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 required public hearing must collect evidence, including witness testimony, and is conducted by an independent administrative law judge.

Judicial review of any decision of the Extinction Committee 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 Hartl. “We will be there every step of the way through this lawless process, and we’ll take legal action to overrule this kangaroo court.”