Big Oil bought feds with ski trips, golf and "romantic liaisons"

"Federal investigators are preparing to release a report detailing improper relationships between Interior Department officials who oversee offshore drilling and oil executives, including golf outings, ski trips and romantic liaisons," reports the Denver Post.

Some officials from the Denver-based Minerals Management Service -- the folks in charge of leasing offshore sites to oil companies and collecting the royalties -- may face criminal charges, says the paper. The report by the Department of the Interior's Inspector General shows they "have allowed certain oil companies to skirt bidding procedures, modify sales contracts and avoid paying interest on royalties owed to the government, according to documents," the Post story says.

"After four Interior auditors working for the Denver office raised alarms in whistle-blower suits — filed during the past four years — about what they considered fraudulent activities by oil corporations, all but one were reassigned or saw their jobs eliminated," the story reports. One of those booted out told the Post: ""The oil-company people always had access to our top management."

The paper notes that the report on MMS mismanagement arrives "as presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain have renewed the debate over an expansion of offshore oil drilling, the revenues from which are regulated by the MMS."

--Craig Pittman

Comments

[Ronnie]

Any person who works in government that accepts any gift should go to jail. I realize that that would mean the nations politicians and staff (state and federal) would be in jail, but I believe that it would be cheeper to build the jails to house them then let them keep their positions. Lock them all up.

[Al]

The Chinese promptly execute corrupt government officials. Hopefully, when they take us over, they'll bring that policy with them.