Breakup begins of offshore oil drilling agency (Minerals Management Service)

Thursday, May 20, 2010 / San Francisco Chronicle

Washington - -- The Obama administration on Wednesday formally began breaking up the embattled federal agency in charge of policing offshore drilling after the Deepwater Horizon disaster exposed regulatory lapses and possible conflicts of interests at the Minerals Management Service.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar signed an order carving the MMS into three pieces and extinguishing the once relatively little-known agency that President Obama last week criticized as having a "cozy relationship" with the oil and gas companies it regulates.

"This reorganization is vital to ongoing reform efforts," Salazar said in announcing the shakeup. "We will be able to strengthen oversight of the companies that develop our nation's energy resources."

Salazar said he was divvying up Minerals Management Service into three pieces:

-- The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will be in charge of developing energy resources on the outer continental shelf.

-- The Office of Natural Resources Revenue will be responsible for collecting royalties from oil and gas produced on federal property.

-- The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement will be responsible for imposing safety and environmental regulations on all offshore energy activity.

MORE: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/20/MN2Q1DHFL5.DTL

The article adds that in 2008 an inspector general report documented sexual relationships and drug use among MMS officials and industry representatives.

or early retirement.

they sure as hell did not earn a retirement.

for the good of we the people should have received early attention notwithstanding two wars, the bank and Wall Street debacles, a failing economy et al and especially so wherein so much was at stake. :P

Corexit: BP Using Dispersants In Gulf Banned In U.K. For Being More Toxic And Less Effective
First Posted: 05-18-10 05:01 PM | Updated: 05-18-10 05:09 PM

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/18/corexit-bp-using-dispersa_n_580799.html

WTF?

...when Big Oil owns the government and Salazar is on its payroll.

*sigh*

...Big Oil will simply wiggle its way around any regulations.

RECOMMENDED by those criticizing the Government's handling of these resources but when Obama does it, sooner rather than later, he's shit upon.

It's because of this so many DU'ers have zero credibility.

administratively, it will later be shaped by Congress."

Now there's a group with no ties to big oil :eyes:

Sarcasm aside, it's a start. But eventually we hope to see some heads roll, correct?

....got a mirror handy?

when it's a major damage control moment.

Ass backwards. A smokescreen right now. But better than nothing.

be SO refreshing. Can we start with Salazar?

let me know if they purge the ranks and I'll start to believe something will come of it