The Drilling Ban

[Gerry Clinchy]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40107538...ws-environment

Even msn is picking on the White House
White House altered report justifying drilling ban

Inspector general finds it was altered to imply it was peer reviewed

WASHINGTON — An inspector general says the White House edited a report about the administration's moratorium on offshore oil drilling to make it appear that scientists and experts supported the idea of a six-month ban on new drilling.

The Interior Department's inspector general says the changes resulted "in the implication that the moratorium recommendation had been peer reviewed." But it hadn't been.

Still, the report said the administration did not violate federal rules because it had offered a formal apology and already publicly clarified the nature of the expert review.

The report says that in May, a staff member working under White House energy adviser Carol Browner returned edited versions of the report's executive summary to the Interior Department, with language altered to imply that the panel of seven outside analysts who reviewed a draft of safety recommendations endorsed the ban, Politico reported.

Some of the peer reviewers complained, the Politico report said, and the department apologized to them in early June. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar met with some of them personally and spoke to them on a conference call, according to Politico.

Hopefully, that staff member is now among the unemployed.

[Franco]

That bees old news around these parts.

Even in the Laws Suits that were filed against the Feds stated that Obama's panel of experts did NOT suggest the ban. Two judges agreed that it was capricious and vague. So, the Feds reworded thier document and refiled.

Within days of the explosion, all the offshore rigs were inspected and found to be in complience of the then exsisting guidelines.

What ths article doesn't cover is the fact that Obama is still holding up new offshore drilling permits in shallow water. That's why Sen Mary Landreau will not vote for approval on any new Obama appointments.

If the administration thought they were punishing the oil companies with the deepwater ban and holding up permits, they are very wrong. Oil companies have moved on to friendlier countries and those punished are the tax paying oil workers and consumers.

It is in the drilling companies best interest not to have accidents. BP may be a culprit but, to punish the nation with ever climbing oil prices, more imported Arab oil and forced layoffs is NOT the answer to our energy problems!