A U.S. government panel has exempted oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from the Endangered Species Act, citing environmental lawsuits that could threaten the industry's energy supply. The panel, known as the "God Squad," had not convened in over three decades and voted in favor of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s request for the exemption. Critics argue that the move could harm a rare whale species and harm other marine life. The exemption comes amid global oil shocks and high energy prices brought on by the Iran war. The Gulf has been the scene of environmental disasters such as BP's Deepwater Horizon blowout in 2010 and a recent oil spill.