STATEMENT: ‘Years to Build, Minutes to Destroy’

WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, the Trump Administration’s Endangered Species Committee unanimously voted to exempt oil and gas drilling in the Gulf from the Endangered Species Act, likely fast-tracking the construction of dangerous, dirty new facilities in sensitive areas home to beloved species like the rare Rice’s whale.  

Chris Dorsett, Ocean Conservancy’s vice president of conservation and a longtime Gulf resident who led recovery efforts after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, issued the following statement:

“It takes years to build offshore oil and gas operations, but mere minutes for an oil spill to destroy life in the surrounding waters. We experienced that sixteen years ago, when the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster killed hundreds of thousands of seabirds, billions of fish eggs and numerous marine mammals in the Gulf. The damage from oil spills persists for decades, and this decision increases the risk that history repeats itself. It’s a straightforward case of being penny-wise, pound-foolish, leaving coastal communities to clean up the mess oil companies leave behind.”

Ocean Conservancy’s Director of Florida Conservation Jon Paul “J.P.” Brooker, a sixth-generation Floridian, environmental lawyer and avid diver, surfer and fisherman, released the following statement:

“This administration is ignoring decades of bipartisan opposition here in Florida and the warnings of scientists. More offshore drilling puts our marine life on a path to extinction and our coastal economy in the crosshairs of the next inevitable spill. Florida’s voice has been clear: our beaches, manatees and sea turtles are worth more than oil.”

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For more than 50 years, Ocean Conservancy has delivered effective, evidence-based solutions for the ocean and all who depend on it. Today, we continue to unite science, people and policy to protect our ocean from the greatest challenges it faces: climate change, plastic pollution and biodiversity loss. We are a 501(C)3 headquartered in Washington, D.C. that inspires a worldwide network of partners, advocates and supporters through our comprehensive and clear-eyed approach to ocean conservation. Together, we are securing a healthy ocean and a thriving planet, forever and for everyone. For more information, visit oceanconservancy.org, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Bluesky or Instagram.