| Submit your comments on this article | |
| Home Front: Politix | |
| No Experience Necessary! New Head of MMS | |
| 2010-06-16 | |
| President Obama has selected Michael Bromwich, a partner in the law firm Fried Frank's Washington D.C. and New York offices, to head the Minerals Management Service, the troubled agency that oversees offshore oil drilling, according to senior administration officials. In announcing the selection Tuesday, the White House said Bromwich would be charged with reorganizing the agency to "ensure that there is no conflict of interest, real or perceived, in oil industry oversight." "For a decade or more, the cozy relationship between the oil companies and the federal agency was allowed to go unchecked," Obama said in a statement. "That allowed drilling permits to be issued in exchange not for safety plans, but assurances of safety from oil companies. That cannot and will not happen anymore." While Bromwich has no significant experience with oil and gas issues, he has a reputation for cleaning up embattled organizations. In addition to serving as as inspector general for the Justice Department under President Clinton for five years, he worked as the District Metropolitan Police Department's independent monitor on the issue of excessive force and as the independent investigator for the Houston Police Department's crime lab. He also served as an associate counsel in the Iran-Contra investigation in the late 1980s.
| |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #14 I have been wondering from very the beginning if this would end up with the U.S Government sueing BP or the other way around. I didn't sale any of my BP stock if you want to know who I've got my money on. |
| Posted by: junkirony 2010-06-16 18:55 |
| #13 You're probably right Barb. |
| Posted by: Penguin 2010-06-16 15:25 |
| #12 "They could square that organization away." What on earth makes you think that's what Bambi wants, Penguin? He just wants to take over and bend everyone and everything to |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2010-06-16 15:15 |
| #11 I'm concerned about this Fried Frank. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2010-06-16 15:08 |
| #10 $4600.00, according to Open Secrets Obama, Barack Bromwich, Michael Washington,DC 20015 Fried Frank 7/31/08 $1,500 Obama, Barack BROMWICH, MICHAEL WASHINGTON,DC 20015 FRIED FRANK/LAWYER 2/29/08 $1,000 Obama, Barack BROMWICH, MICHAEL WASHINGTON,DC 20015 FRIED FRANK/LAWYER 5/7/08 $1,000 Obama, Barack Bromwich, Michael Washington,DC 20015 Fried Frank 9/19/08 $800 Obama, Barack BROMWICH, MICHAEL WASHINGTON,DC 20015 FRIED FRANK ET AL/LAWYER 6/30/08 $300 |
| Posted by: mojo 2010-06-16 14:59 |
| #9 Obama should have picked one of the admirals who ran Naval Reactors. They could square that organization away. |
| Posted by: Penguin 2010-06-16 14:31 |
| #8 No Experience Necessary! Hey, it worked for Obama. Besides, it always comes down to lawyers in the end, why not skip the |
| Posted by: KBK 2010-06-16 13:14 |
| #7 I suspect his sole purpose is to legally cover the administration's butt from potential litigation. Probably by shifting liability to the oil companies. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2010-06-16 11:30 |
| #6 Karl Denninger had this interesting observation about the Administration's role in permitting the oil well blowout in the first place: Congress and President Obama have a political Kobyashi Maru here. MMS is 100% responsible for approving the well casing changes made on the rig - changes that, were they not approved, would have likely prevented the blowout in the first place. But MMS is the Obama Administration and those changes were approved just days before the blast. And while BP selected the design and implementation they used, they didn't do it in a vacuum - they did so with the full permission of the government's so-called "regulators." Oops. President Obama doesn't want to discuss this, of course. Did you notice the lack of an MMS representative at the hearings today? Guess why? Yep. Start asking about those permits and the rubber stamp at the MMS office, and you're going to get a lot of stuttering in response. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2010-06-16 10:49 |
| #5 If there was an oil dividend like in Georgist Alaska then maximising the payout seems like a good idea. If the oil money was bureaucrat directed then it will just be used for the benefit of bureaucrats at the expense of the people. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2010-06-16 09:31 |
| #4 By putting a lawyer in charge he is indicating the purpose of the MMS will be legal, not technical oversight. It will be focussed on extracting money (lawsuits) after an incident rather than preventing an incident. Or maybe about minimizing lawsuit losses against the MMS. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2010-06-16 09:17 |
| #3 For a decade or more, the cozy relationship between the oil companies and the federal agency was allowed to go unchecked," Obama said A DECADE? He was there before George???? Damn it, can't blame BUSH for this.........who the heck was before him again????? |
| Posted by: Everyday a Wildcat(KSU) 2010-06-16 09:08 |
| #2 cozy relationship between the oil companies and the federal agency All I can say is those 'cozy' relationships must be someplace else, because I sure don't experience them. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2010-06-16 09:00 |
| #1 FREEREPUBLIC/TOPIX > THE GULF DISASTER: YOU AINT SEEN NOTHING YET; + THE GULF OIL SPILL: A DISASTER OF UNFATHOMABLE CONSEQUENCES. * Also on FREEP > LEAKED REPORT: GOVT. BELIEVES DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL WELL COULD BECOME AN UNCONTROLLED GUSHER. Forever + ever + ever. By and for the sake of OWG-NWO, GLOBAL SOCIALISM-GOVTISM, + PERMANENTLY-POOR-BUT-OPTIMISTIC UNIVERSAL SOC REGRESSIONISM??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2010-06-16 03:13 |