1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

I need you to oppose the Trump administration's use of the Endangered Species Committee to grant oil and gas companies a sweeping exemption from environmental protections in the Gulf of Mexico. This committee hasn't been convened in over 30 years because Congress designed it as a last resort tool, not a giveaway to industry. Fast-tracking oil drilling in the Gulf will push Rice's whales to extinction. Only 51 individuals remain. Kemp's ridley sea turtles and manatees, many still recovering from a recent mass starvation event, also face direct threats from expanded drilling operations. These species cannot survive another assault on their habitat. The Endangered Species Committee exists to make difficult decisions in rare circumstances, not to hand the oil industry a blank check to destroy marine life. Vote against any exemption that prioritizes corporate profits over species survival.