Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has renamed and reorganized the now-infamous Minerals Management Service, which oversees offshore drilling. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement will have three separate arms to administer regulation, enforcement, and royalty collection. The MMS had been plagued by scandal, including reports that oil-industry representatives plied agency staff with drugs and prostitutes.
Salazar appointed Michael Bromwich, who previously investigated the government’s handling of the Aldrich Ames spy case, to head the agency. Bromwich plans to form an internal investigations unit to examine allegations of misconduct.
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