Conservationists Sue BOEM to Restore OSV Speed Limits for Rice's Whale

A group of U.S. environmental NGOs are suing the Trump administration over the rollback of guidance that was intended to protect the endangered Rice's whale, an ultra-rare species found only in the U.S. Gulf. Only an estimated 50 individuals remain, and conservationists believe that without protection, it could become the first whale species ever to go extinct due to human activity - possibly even before the North Atlantic right whale.

"[Rice's whales] are on the brink of extinction and the few dozen left alive desperately need more protections from speeding vessels and other offshore oil drilling activity, not less," said Kristen Monsell, oceans legal director at the Centre for Biological Diversity.

The Rice's whale is a relative of the Bryde's whale, and was first identified as a separate species in 2021. In 2022, more than 100 marine scientists called for "excluding leasing and other [oil and gas] activities from the whale's habitat."

In response, BOEM removed lease blocks in Rice's whale habitat areas from a federal lease auction, and it asked offshore oil and gas operators to incorporate whale-protection measures when transiting specific water depths, including all areas between the 100-400 meter depth contours - the areas where the whale is known to feed. These protective measures included a halt to nighttime OSV navigation and a 10-knot speed limit across the depth contour band.

Pushback from oil majors came swiftly, and a federal judge prohibited BOEM from incorporating the restrictions into the requirements of a 2023 lease auction. On February 20, 2025, BOEM rescinded the guidance altogether, citing the Interior Department's new guidance for "Unleashing American Energy."

In a letter to BOEM this week, the NGOs Friends of the Earth, Centre for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club, and the Turtle Island Restoration Network said that they plan to sue to restore the recommendations. BOEM's guidance on Rice's whale protection never became mandatory, but the nonprofits want the agency to make it official policy once more.

"It cannot be overstated: Trump is dealing a death blow to the critically endangered Rice’s whale in the name of Big Oil handouts," said Hallie Templeton, legal director for Friends of the Earth.