Obama Seeks to Split Agency That Monitors Oil Drilling (NY Times)

[pinto]

:thumbsup: ~ pinto

Obama Seeks to Split Agency That Monitors Oil Drilling

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG and JOHN M. BRODER
Published: May 11, 2010

WASHINGTON — President Obama is proposing to split the agency that oversees offshore oil drilling into two parts, one to inspect oil rigs and enforce safety and the other to oversee leases for drilling and collect royalties, the White House said Tuesday.

The shift would be the first major structural change in government regulation of oil and gas operations since the destructive Gulf Coast oil spill that began on April 20.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who announced the change in an afternoon news conference, said that he intended to create a safety and environmental enforcement bureau separate from the minerals service leasing and revenue collection duties.

“The job of ensuring energy companies are following the law and protecting the safety of their workers and the environment is a big one, and should be independent from other missions of the agency,”

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http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/12/us/12interior.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

[JohnWxy]

1. great move. Necessary. recommended.

[pinto]

2. Agree. It's a good answer, in part, to the problem.

:kick: