“Talk about awkward timing,” said USA Today in an editorial. Just as Congress is set to approve more offshore drilling, the Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service office gets embroiled in a cocaine-and-sex-tinged corruption scandal straight “out of a ‘bureaucrats gone wild’ video.” The “MMS chicks” and other employees allegedly partied and slept with employees of the oil firms they were supposed to get royalties from. Talk about “being in bed with regulated companies.”
What do you expect when energy industry lobbyists are tapped to fill the department’s top positions? said The New York Times in an editorial. The Interior Department’s inspector general already found billions in uncollected royalties in 2007. Now it’s clear that the entire MMS program—which collects oil and gas in lieu of cash—“needs a complete overhaul.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Today's political cartoons - March 29, 2025Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - my way or Norway, running orders, and more
-
5 tactically sound cartoons about the leaked Signal chatCartoons Artists take on the clown signal, baby steps, and more
-
Roast lamb shoulder with ginger and fresh turmeric recipeThe Week Recommends Succulent and tender and falls off the bone with ease
