April 1 (UPI) -- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared offshore oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico necessary for national security and received an exemption from endangered species protections -- which a a conservation group maintains violated U.S. law.
The lawsuit, filed by the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeks to block the exemption, alleging federal officials bypassed key requirements under the Endangered Species Act when convening the Endangered Species Committee, known as the "God Squad."
According to court filings, the Interior Department moved forward without a formal exemption request.
"The department of the Interior did not receive an exemption application," the complaint states. "Instead, the department acted on a notification from the secretary of defense."
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