On the recordMay 9, 2012
in an attempt to refresh our memory on what happened with the overreach of the EPA, we might remember that it was from this podium, I guess, 2 weeks ago--it was on a Friday that we found out and we had access to a tape that we released to the public. It has been on the TV and everyone has seen it now. It is a tape of the region 6 administrator of the EPA, Mr. Armendariz. At that time, when talking to the regulators who were under his jurisdiction and along with the public at a public meeting that was taking place in Texas, he said: But as I said, oil and gas is an enforcement priority. . . . I was in a meeting once and I gave an analogy to my staff about my philosophy of enforcement, and I think it was probably a little crude and maybe not appropriate for the meeting but I'll go ahead and tell you what I said. It was kind of like how the Romans used to conquer little villages in the Mediterranean. They'd go into a little Turkish town somewhere, they'd find the first five guys they saw and they would crucify them. And let them die on a cross. Everyone would look at that. Then he said: And then you know that town was really easy to manage for the next few years. . . . So, that's our general philosophy. This is the EPA we are talking about, and this is 1 of 10 of the regulators. This happens to be the region 6 administrator.…
