Monday February 24, 2025
Houston Chronicle —
Rice’s whales living off the Gulf Coast of Texas will lose some protections after the U.S. Department of the Interior this week rescinded its notice to oil and gas companies to take extra precautions on ships, an effort introduced by the Biden administration to safeguard the endangered species.
Since August 2023, companies operating in the Gulf have been required to adopt efforts to protect Rice’s whales while traveling to offshore operations, including keeping boat speeds low and having a spotter on board to watch for whales. The notice of requirements came after the Sierra Club, alongside other environmental groups, sued the National Marine Fisheries Service in 2020, claiming the group was not taking the necessary steps to protect endangered species like the Rice’s whales.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced Thursday it was rescinding the notice in compliance with President Donald Trump’s Executive Order “Unleashing American Energy,” which “directs the removal of impediments imposed on the development and use of our nation’s abundant energy and natural resources by the Biden administration’s burdensome regulations.”