Top Interior Official Resigning in Wake of Oil Leak

mms.gov

Chris Oynes, who oversees offshore oil and gas drilling at the Mineral Management Service, is stepping down at the end of the month, CBS News has confirmed. The Washington Post first reported the news.

Oynes' retirement comes in the wake of the worsening environmental disaster caused by the oil leak in the Gulf.

The Post reports that former officials at MMS have criticized Oynes for being too close to the oil and gas industry he was charged with regulating.

Last week, President Obama complained that "for too long, for a decade or more, there's been a cozy relationship between the oil companies and the federal agency that permits them to drill."

"It seems as if permits were too often issued based on little more than assurances of safety from the oil companies," he said. "That cannot and will not happen anymore. To borrow an old phrase, we will trust but we will verify."

Last year, Oynes awarded the "Safety Award for Excellence" award to Transocean, one of the companies responsible for the leak, for "strong performance in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico."

Deepwater Horizon, the rig that sprang the leak, was among the rigs to earn a "outstanding drilling operations" and "perfect performance period" designations at the at the MMS National Award luncheon.

"For more than a decade spanning three Administrations, MMS has been a corrupt agency with an extensive history of mismanagement," Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said in a statement. "This wasn't the doing of one, single person, but rather the culmination of a bureaucratic breakdown. Removing one person might be a start, but MMS is in need of an exhaustive overhaul and comprehensive reform."

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, whose department includes MMS, is in the process of making changes to the organization in the wake of criticism, including splitting the inspection and collection divisions to avoid conflicts of interest.

Oynes' title is associate director for offshore energy and minerals management with the Minerals Management Service. He reportedly informed his colleagues in an e-mail of his plans to retire on May 31st.

Prior to being promoted in 2007, Oynes spent 12 years as the regional director in charge of Gulf of Mexico offshore oil programs. His official bio is here.

Oil Leak Siphon Working, but is it too Late?
Special Section: Disaster in the Gulf
Oil Spill by the Numbers
Gulf Oil Spill Containment Efforts

[jgg000101]

pssst, let's blame it on the fat white guy.

[josephp5]

There's plenty of blame to go around, that's for sure.

But this guy certainly shares some of it. He was supposed to work for us, the taxpayers. But his actions were that of a oil company shill. He used his government position to make it easier for oil companies to cheat the government out of billions and rip off the taxpayers.

[pasmalltown]

pssst, let's blame it on the guy who happens to be white, appears to be overweight and allowed the oil industry to have whatever they wanted............ Do you think Obama hired this guy? And your buddy Bush didn't look the other way during his or his daddy's tenure????
The really sad part is he got away with for so long and is now going to retire on "your" tax dollars.........

[retm-w]

Typical Government put someone in charge that has no knowledge of the job. Just another good old boy promotion. He'll retire on his fat Government pension with full benefits, then go to work for one of the oil companies as a consultant or lobbyist.

[RobAla]

Come on, this guy probably gave a healthy donation to the Presidents campaign.... He may have payed good money for his position.

[pasmalltown]

by RobAla May 18, 2010 12:00 AM EDT
Your problem Robala, is you can "see" only one way, to the "right". What do you suppose he got(or is going to get) from the oil companies?..........

[P0ST1ING_AWAY]

by kalamere1 May 17, 2010 7:06 PM EDT
Another scapegoat for Obama. A lifelong bureaucrat is always a Democrat. Get cozy with the money is a Democrat specialty. Do you really think the poil companies want this kind of thing to happen, they already have enough trouble, and why would they do this to themselves. More likely the error or intention of Obama.
========================================================
I guess being a MORON is something you do quite well.
This DOOFUS (your cousin ???) was promoted to this position
DURING THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION.

[josephp5]

Mr. Oynes has been controversial at MMS long before this terrible event. He has long had a reputation for being a cheerleader for increased offshore drilling.

Before he was promoted to his current position, he was connected to a scandal at the MMS. MMS had issued contracts to oil drillers that were missing vital price information that prevented the US from collecting billions in royalties from the oil companies.

When Mr. Oynes was promoted to his current position after this scandal, Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY14) wrote, "It is completely ridiculous that MMS would take the person most likely responsible for the royalty rip-off and put him in charge of the whole show."

Blogger Jenn Kepka has an informative post: http://open.salon.com/blog/saturn_smith/2010/05/17/interior_official_in_charge_of_gulf_oil_drilling_to_retire

[cbs4111]

Well what would you expect? Oynes is a lawyer with a BS in Political Science. Plus, they put him in charge of Off Shore Oil oversight and safety AND alternative energy development. He was doing job that needs the full attention of a capable engineer.

This is why you don't want the Government in charge of your health care.

[nomealaska]

The relationship that the MMS has with the oil/gas industry is very much like the relationship between the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council and the commercial fishing industry, it is hard sometimes to say where one lets off and the other starts.

[Henri_Rochard]

And to top it all, the name 'Oynes' looks suspiciously like 'Oil'.

[ReasonableGuy]

His picture looks like stereotypical Hollywood casting for the role of
"Oil Company Fat-Cat" amazing.

I pray that some honest folk can be found to run this organization. We cannot count on the oil company bozos to do anything that might reduce short term profits.