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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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 Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 11:54 am Post subject: IG report: Meth, porn use by drilling agency staff |
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http://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view.bg?articleid=1257271&format=text
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WASHINGTON � Staff members at an agency that oversees offshore drilling accepted tickets to sports events, lunches and other gifts from oil and gas companies and used government computers to view pornography, according to an Interior Department report alleging a culture of cronyism between regulators and the industry.
In at least one case, an inspector for the Minerals Management Service admitted using crystal methamphetamine and said he might have been under the influence of the drug the next day at work, according to the report by the acting inspector general of the Interior Department.
The report cites a variety of violations of federal regulations and ethics rules at the agency�s Louisiana office. Previous inspector general investigations have focused on inappropriate behavior by the royalty-collection staff in the agency�s Denver office.
The report adds to the climate of frustration and criticism facing the Obama administration in the monthlong oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, although it covers actions before the spill. Millions of gallons of oil are gushing into the Gulf, endangering wildlife and the livelihoods of fishermen, as scrutiny intensifies on a lax regulatory climate.
The report began as a routine investigation, the acting inspector general, Mary Kendall, said in a cover letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, whose department includes the agency.
"Unfortunately, given the events of April 20 of this year, this report had become anything but routine, and I feel compelled to release it now," she wrote.
Her biggest concern is the ease with which minerals agency employees move between industry and government, Kendall said. While no specifics were included in the report, "we discovered that the individuals involved in the fraternizing and gift exchange � both government and industry � have often known one another since childhood," Kendall said.
Their relationships took precedence over their jobs, Kendall said.
The report follows a 2008 report by then-Inspector General Earl Devaney that decried a "culture of ethical failure" and conflicts of interest at the minerals agency.
Salazar called the latest report "deeply disturbing" and said it highlights the need for changes he has proposed, including a plan to abolish the minerals agency and replace it with three new entities.
The report "is further evidence of the cozy relationship between some elements of MMS and the oil and gas industry," Salazar said Tuesday. "I appreciate and fully support the inspector general�s strong work to root out the bad apples in MMS."
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Members of Congress and President Barack Obama have criticized what they call the [b]cozy relationship between regulators and oil companies and have vowed to reform MMS, which both regulates the industry and collects billions in royalties from it.[/b]
The report said that employees from the Lake Charles, La., MMS office had repeatedly accepted gifts, including hunting and fishing trips from the Island Operating Company, an oil and gas company working on oil platforms regulated by the Interior Department.
Taking such gifts "appears to have been a generally accepted practice," the report said.
Two employees at the Lake Charles office admitted using illegal drugs, and many inspectors had e-mails that contained inappropriate humor and pornography on their government computers, the report said.
Kendall recommended a series of steps to improve ethical standards, including a two-year waiting period for agency employees to join the oil or gas industry.
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Every agency that ends up in the news has exactly the same problems. They are completely captured and full of utterly incompetent individuals. |
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rollo
Joined: 10 May 2006
Location: China
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| Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 3:02 pm Post subject: |
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| agency had nothing to do with the accident. Human error and a 1 in a hundred million fluke accident. they were pumping concrete, and when the rig operator saw the reading he probably tried to shut it down. some one in mangement not on the rig made a decision to go on still nothing bad should have happened. Also the blow out preventer may have had a problem. Not all accidents are preventable. This was one of those. the agencies are going to be the scapegoat. Not that they dont need reform but this was not something that a safety check would have prevented. the men on board the rigs are well aware of the dangers and are more concerned about safety than some on shore official. |
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thomas pars
Joined: 29 Jan 2009
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geldedgoat
Joined: 05 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 9:29 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm amazed that someone with a real, paying job would use crystal meth. Think he keeps can of Dust-Away stashed in his desk? |
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