"The Environment," by David Weller

oil leaks onto land
roils the royalty owners,
spoiling monthly checks

Shocking incidents of corruption at the Interior Department

Department of Interior headquarters in
Washington, DC.
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Government reform orgs. deliver news on major events within their areas of expertise.
From: Judicial Watch

Investigation Finds Massive Corruption at Interior Department

The federal government released a report on September 10th following a two year inspector general investigation that details shocking incidents of corruption at the Interior Department.

According to The Associated Press:

Government brokers responsible for collecting billions of dollars in federal oil royalties operated in a "culture of substance abuse and promiscuity" that included having sex with energy company employees, accepting lavish gifts and rigging contracts to favored firms, investigators said Wednesday.

The alleged transgressions involve 13 former and current Interior Department employees in Denver and Washington. Their alleged improprieties include influencing contracts, working part-time as private oil consultants and having sexual relationships with - and accepting golf and ski trips, snowboarding lessons and concert tickets from - oil company employees, according to three reports released Wednesday by the Interior Department's inspector general.

The investigation included testimony from 233 witnesses and yielded 470,000 pages of documentation. It cost taxpayers $5 million. However, experts estimate corrupt behavior by Interior officials may have deprived the federal government billions in lost revenue. The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that "Congressional auditors are questioning whether the Interior Department is collecting all the royalties energy companies owe for petroleum developed on federal property."

As I said last week regarding Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, bigger government leads to more corruption. Some key officials in the Interior Department felt they were above the law and could conduct themselves in whatever manner they saw fit. They felt safe in anonymity of the federal bureaucracy and had absolutely no fear of repercussions and no ethical sensibilities.

According to The Hill, in response to these ethical lapses, lawmakers stuck an "ethics training" provision for Interior Department officials into the energy bill just passed by Congress. This is nothing more than a smokescreen so that members of Congress can pretend they're doing something about the problem. What we really need is true accountability for lawbreakers. Throw the book at these officials and make examples of them all. Then maybe others will think twice.

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From: Public Campaign Action Fund

US Congress must not work for Big Oil

Exxon Mobil announced last week that it recorded a record profit- $11.7 billion in just three months. Yet, according to a new study by Friends of the Earth, the oil industry can expect $33 billion in tax breaks and other handouts in the next five years.

Tell your members of Congress enough is enough. Stop working for Big Oil and start working for us.

Your elected officials are back home for August recess. Sign this petition and if you see them let them know that you want them to stand up to Big Oil money in our nation's capital.

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Loophole spared oil companies billions in royalty payments to American taxpayers

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From: Public Citizen

Another Sweetheart Deal for the Oil Companies

A bureaucratic oversight has allowed 24 oil companies to skip out on more than $1.3 billion in royalties for the privilege of extracting oil and natural gas from U.S. territory in the Gulf of Mexico. But this $1.3 billion in forgone royalties pales in comparison to the $60 billion that Americans stand to lose in royalty revenue over the life of these leases. If Congress repeals the moratorium on offshore drilling, these freeloading oil companies will gain more record profits while American families are left holding the bag.

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All activists can go to TXPIRG's petition and sign on as supporters of public transportation. Thank you

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Stop Coal-to-Liquids Subsidies
Since the 1930s, the coal industry has made off with $60 billion in taxpayer subsidies, and now they are asking for even more to support the coal-to-liquid (CTL) industry. CTL is a chemical technology developed in the 1920s to turn coal into a liquid fuel. The coal industry has stayed away from this costly and risky industry in the past, but are willing to take the plunge only if taxpayers step in and provide billions of dollars in subsidies, price floors, and loans. Here's why CTL fuel is a bad investment for taxpayers:
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The Executive Branch represents ALL of the people

On July 18th, the Washington Post revealed energy industry's role in V.P. Cheney's Energy Task Force of 2001. To no one's surprise, most of the final report reflected industry's input.

The Executive Branch represents the whole country, not select pieces of it. Sure, there may be particular problems that rely mostly on certain segments of the population for input. However, on fundamentals like national energy policy, all players must have a voice. When one sends a letter on a national issue to the Vice President, for example, they should not be fearful of biased reception of it. We, the people can hire and fire any elected official at will.