Trump Administration delays rule on Gulf of Mexico whale protections by two years
The Trump administration will delay by two years a final rule designating protections for the Rice’s Whale in the Gulf of Mexico. This came about from an agreement with environmental groups recently filed in federal court.
The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) agreed with the Natural Resources Defense Council to finalize the geographic area deemed critical for the Rice’s Whale survival by July 15, 2027. The previous deadline had been July 15, 2025.
In the agreement, the NMFS requested additional time to analyze the impact of the rule and evaluate the science underlying it. The delay is the latest turn in a legal battle among conservationists, the oil and gas industry, and the federal government over protecting a whale that was only recognized as a unique species in 2021. The whales, which measure up to 41 feet and weigh up to 60,000 pounds, have primarily been seen in the Eastern Gulf, off the coast of Florida.
Oil and gas companies in the region welcomed the delay. Drillers had faced restrictions on how they could operate in key parts of the northern Gulf under a proposal published by former President Biden’s administration in 2023. That proposal had expanded the whale’s critical habitat to the central and western Gulf of Mexico, potentially putting productive areas off-limits to oil and gas exploration and development.
