"Drill Baby Drill" Takes On Whole New Meaning

Joe1991 · #1 (**permalink**) 09-10-2008, 05:48 PM

If you, like me, watched any of the mindless sideshow called the Republican Convention, you heard the "Drill Baby Drill" mantra being yelled by the crowds several times every night during various speeches, which I must quickly adress:

1. as if we're not drilling already, we have thousands of offshore rigs.
and
2. as if the multi-national oil companies would turn that oil into $1.99 gas at the pump for you and me instead of selling it on the open market for $150 a barrel.

Anyway, finally, we have a story that definatively puts Bush & Co both figuratively and literally in bed with the oil companies:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...MPLATE=DEFAULT

Quote:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Government officials handling billions of dollars in oil royalties partied, had sex with and accepted golf and ski outings from employees of energy companies they were dealing with, federal investigators said Wednesday.

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

The investigations reveal a "culture of substance abuse and promiscuity" by a small group of individuals "wholly lacking in acceptance of or adherence to government ethical standards," wrote Inspector General Earl E. Devaney, whose office spent more than two years and $5.3 million on the investigation.

"Sexual relationships with prohibited sources cannot, by definition, be arms-length," Devaney said.

The reports describe a fraternity house atmosphere inside the Denver Minerals Management Service office responsible for marketing oil and natural gas that energy companies barter to the government in lieu of cash royalty payments for drilling on federal lands. The government received $4.3 billion in such royalty-in-kind payments last year. The oil and gas is then resold to energy companies or put in the nation's emergency stockpile.

"During the course of our investigation, we learned that some RIK employees frequently consumed alcohol at industry functions, had used cocaine and marijuana, and had sexual relationships with oil and gas company representatives," the report said. Two government employees who had to spend the night after a daytime industry function because they were too intoxicated to drive home were commonly referred to by energy traders as the "MMS Chicks."

Between 2002 and 2006, nearly a third of the 55-person staff in the Denver office received gifts and gratuities from oil and gas companies, including Chevron Corp., Shell, Hess Corp. and Denver-based Gary-Williams Energy Corp., the investigators found. Two oil marketers received gifts and gratuities on at least 135 occasions. One admitted having a one-night-stand with a Shell employee. That same individual allegedly passed out business cards for her sex toy business at work, bragging that her income from that business exceeded her salary at the Interior Department.

Devaney said the investigations took so long because Chevron refused to cooperate. An Interior Department official said Chevron would not allow investigators to interview its employees.

Don Campbell, a Chevron spokesman, said Wednesday that the company "produced all of the documents that the government requested months ago." A Shell spokeswoman said it would be premature for the company to comment on the report until it had time to review it.

House Natural Resources Chairman Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., said "this whole IG report reads like a script from a television miniseries and one that cannot air during family viewing time. It is no wonder that the office was doing such a lousy job of overseeing the RIK program; clearly the employees had 'other' priorities in that office."

The findings are the latest sign of trouble at the Minerals Management Service, which already has been accused of mismanaging the collection of fees from oil companies and writing faulty contracts for drilling on government land and offshore. The charges also come as Congress and both presidential candidates are debating whether to open up more federal offshore waters to oil and natural gas drilling.

"This all shows the oil industry holds shocking sway over the administration and even key federal employees," said Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla. "This is why we must not allow Big Oil's agenda to be jammed through Congress."

catmando · #2 (**permalink**) 09-10-2008, 05:50 PM

and having sexual relationships with - and accepting golf and ski trips and dinners from - oil company employees, according to three reports released Wednesday by the Interior Department's inspector general.

That's what the Rethugs mean by "drill baby drill".

JP5 · #3 (**permalink**) 09-10-2008, 06:01 PM

You say....."The alleged transgressions involve 13 former and current Interior Department employees in Denver and Washington." And you try to tie them to "Bush and Co." But where's your proof that these employees were part of the Bush administration or hired by them? How do you know these employees weren't Democrats?

PROOF please.

f100supersabr · #4 (**permalink**) 09-10-2008, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JP5

You say....."The alleged transgressions involve 13 former and current Interior Department employees in Denver and Washington." And you try to tie them to "Bush and Co." But where's your proof that these employees were part of the Bush administration or hired by them? How do you know these employees weren't Democrats?

PROOF please.

That's just not acceptable. LOL !! Well next thing you know and we will need proof to claim Obama is a Muslim and that he is a natural born American citizen. What next ? Wil we need proof to impeach someone ? This world of politics is just getting too buureuocratic !! lol

Whaler17 · #5 (**permalink**) 09-10-2008, 06:33 PM

Post something that isn't severely twisted!

JP5 · #6 (**permalink**) 09-10-2008, 06:54 PM

Here's a bit of research that Joe apparently didn't do. The Interior Dept Inspector General is Earl E. Devaney---a CLINTON APPOINTEE since 1999. He's the one who found all this and he works within the Bush administration....right????

The highest level employee found guilty of some of this is a 33-year female employee. She's worked for gov't for 33 years. How is she George W. Bush's fault????

Joe1991 · #7 (**permalink**) 09-11-2008, 05:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JP5

Here's a bit of research that Joe apparently didn't do. The Interior Dept Inspector General is Earl E. Devaney---a CLINTON APPOINTEE since 1999. He's the one who found all this and he works within the Bush administration....right??

So your argument is that because a Clinton Appointee caught these crooks, that absolves the Bush administration of blame?

Sorry, but the adage "a fish rots from the head down" fits Bushco to a 'T'.

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