Political Quotes

“we have watched with horror the unfolding disaster in the gulf. We have seen precious lives lost, hard-earned livelihoods hammered, treasured ways of life imperiled. We have seen the largest deployment of resources ever against an environmental disaster. We have seen astonishing corporate negligence. But we have seen something else too--something that ought to be a lasting lesson from this catastrophe. We have seen the revolting specter of an agency of government subservient to--captive to--the industry it is supposed to regulate. From the Minerals Management Service, which is supposed to regulate deep sea oil drilling, here is what we have seen. From the 2008 inspector general's report on MMS's Royalty in Kind Program, based in Colorado: senior executives steering lucrative contracts to an outside company created by the executives; staff failing to collect millions of dollars in royalties owed to the American people and allowing oil and gas companies to revise their own multimillion-dollar bids; staff accepting gifts and money from oil and gas companies with whom the office was conducting official business; and staff participating in social events with industry representatives that included illegal drug use and sex.”