"Interior Secretary Doug Burgum can convene the Endangered Species Committee, or “God Squad,” on March 31 to approve the Pentagon’s request to exempt all Gulf of Mexico oil and gas operations from the Endangered Species Act because of national security needs, a judge ruled Friday.

Judge Rudolph Contreras of the US District Court for the District of Columbia, an Obama appointee, denied the Center for Biological Diversity’s motion for a temporary restraining order that would block the committee from meeting.

Contreras said he hasn’t been convinced he has jurisdiction to issue a restraining order.

The Justice Department said the God Squad’s meeting Tuesday is so important that any delay would jeopardize national security."

Bobby Magill reports for Bloomberg Environment March 27, 2026. [2]