Believe It or Not, the House Natural Resources Committee Didn't Focus on the Sex and Drugs

While we would have liked today's hearing to focus more on contracting issues and whether the RIK program should continue at all, there were several great oversight moments.

Easily the best question in the hearing was asked by Rep. George Miller (D-CA), who asked how the corruption problems in the RIK program could possibly change if industry representatives who had given inappropriate gifts to federal employees in the past are still working directly with MMS employees.  This line of questioning led DOI IG Earl Devaney to suggest that the answer might be to consider suspension or debarment for the companies found to be acting inappropriately, including those that refused to cooperate with the IG investigators.  House Government Oversight Chairman Henry Waxman's (D-CA) hearing next week also seeks to explore the question of how to fix the problems at MMS by holding industry accountable for their misconduct, in addition to the misconduct of RIK program employees.  It is also worth noting that several members of the Committee were practically begging Interior to request additional tools they might need to increase accountability and ethical behavior in oil and gas royalty collection.

Rep. Joe Baca (D-CA) also deserves accolades for asking whether this same kind of behavior could be found in other MMS offices.  This line of questioning pushed IG Devaney to admit that the RIK program is an aberration because of the nature of the program itself requiring MMS employees to be "in daily, if not hourly" contact with "prohibitive sources" (i.e. industry).  Earlier in the hearing, Devaney also admitted that during his investigation he could not find whether the program had lost money for taxpayers because the RIK contracts were "unauditable by our forensic accountants."

Also honing onto accountability, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) provided important scrutiny of DOJ's decision to decline to prosecute former RIK Director Greg Smith (something POGO simply can NOT believe either).

As illuminating and exciting as this hearing was, however, it still has not given the taxpayers a justification for why the RIK program should continue to exist.

-- Mandy Smithberger

Comments

[Gordon]

Hot off the JOB pages in MMS, looks like the place was emptied out, so nobody is tracking the billions. Thanks Earl
here is the ad for MMS as of Sept 29, 2008--described as "targeted work environment" Ya, targerted by who ?Must pay more than POGO, and some free booze on the side, along with other PERKS...
<>>>>>>>>>>>>
Department: Department Of The Interior
Agency: Minerals Management Service
Job Announcement Number:
MMSW-ANT-08-MM214186 (DEU)

RIK Revenue Specialist GS-1101-12
Salary Range: 69,845.00 - 90,803.00 USD per year
Open Period: Monday, September 29, 2008
to Monday, October 13, 2008
Series & Grade: GS-1101-12
Position Information: Full Time Career/Career Conditional
Promotion Potential: 12
Duty Locations: Many vacancies - Lakewood, CO
Who May Be Considered:
Applications will be accepted from all qualified U.S. Citizens, If you also wish to be considered under Merit Promotion procedures, you must apply for vacancy announcement MMSW-ANT-08-MM214181 (MP).
TARGETED WORK ENVIRONMENT(S):
Time in Career: Attracting applicants who want a work environment that welcomes entry and different stages of career from novice to retiree.
Mission Focused: Attracting applicants who want a work environment that welcomes all motivations, from general service commitment to a specific passion.
Job Summary:
Do you want to jump-start your career in a position with rapid promotion potential? Are you a self-motivated team player who is willing to jump in and take initiative? Are you looking for an opportunity to develop your accounting and analytical skills? Then we have the position for you!

The Royalty-in-Kind Program Office (RIKPO) of the Minerals Revenue Management Office has multiple vacancies for RIK Revenue Specialists. This is a great opportunity to enter an organization dedicated to the development of their employees and to work for a unique federal organization. We need candidates who excel in accounting and analytical skills as well as communicate effectively to successfully resolve issues.

The RIKPO performs a comprehensive suite of business activities associated with marketing and sales of oil and gas royalty commodities. The major functions of the RIKPO are 1) performance of commercial front office business activities of RIK property selection/economic analysis, deal structuring, and marketing/sales; 2) mid-office business activities of contracting , risk management, internal controls and portfolio management; and 3) back office activities including accounting functions of reporting, invoicing, operator oil balancing, and volume and accounts reconciliation.

If selected for this position you will work for the Minerals Management Service, Minerals Revenue Management, Royalty in Kind Office, in Lakewood, CO.

Multiple positions may be filled from this vacancy

Please read the entire vacancy announcement and follow all application instructions. Failure to submit all required documents may result in your application not being considered.

During an election year, we must report to OPM any employment offers we make to current or former (within the last 5 years) Schedule C or Non-career SES (political) employees in the executive branch. If you are currently or within the last 5 years a Schedule C or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you must disclose that to the Human Resources Office.
<>>>>>>>
If accounting skills are required, how come IG Earl can't do any forsenic audits to determine how many billions were stolen from MMS accounts, after the rewiring of MMS by those Johnnnie Burton Industry---now that this is an "election year",as Burton's
buddies who reprogrammed MMS, after the 2000 Bush election ?
Also, why are MMS recordes so secret if any so called market data.
IS that like the stock price of Exxon is a big Secret on the NYSE. Hardly, only in WACKO MMS world is a market made a bad room in-bed deal, and still called a market price.(playing Uncle SAMMY as the Sucker like it is the big sport in DOI, with its E-con Experts.
MMS is run as a kinky place, in secret, with no accountability.
But, some people who ripped off lenders on predatory loans , may be perfect for the new jobs at MMS, given the sordid history of corruption.

[Monrone]

The old saying: it takes two to tango.
Earl(DOI-IG), spends $ 5 million to report on the sex life of MMS chicks with oil company executives , naming the MMS federal employees.
Notice, Earl kept back the name of the big shots in the OIL Industry, which seems odd. How rewarding that must have been for Earl, as if it is one of those: "WE don't know what we don't know" !
That was Earl's Rummy-Cheneyism(from IG office) on the dead fish in the Klamath River, where Earl's office showed it will go to bat for the Cheney operatives, as the stench of rotting dead fish filled the River, a sign that the Cheney clique had blood on thier hands, but the DOI(IG), was playing the public as suckers, as the DOI(IG) was pandering to raw corrupt power.
What other kind of reengineering of the MMS does Earl want to put in an obstruction mode--perhaps, something that will soon be on the Senate radar.
When it comes to a lot of big stuff---Earl says he does not know, or even worst seems not to care.
His not caring don't cut it--with America, and its Congress
Now America knows--Earl has a thing to spend $ 5 million on the sex life of MMS woman, but seems his reports spend nada in effort on OIL Company executives--who got the booty, spun out from the KINKY RIK DEALS

[Brady]

RIK can't be fixed.
RIK is a ruse to rip off the USA.
But, are there any smart people who can figure out a way to figure out how much were the USA accounts ripped
off by all the RIk tricks ?
Earl the sensantional DOI (IG) can find out the name, the place, and time every person in Denver had fornicated someone etc, that will do nothing to solve the issue: How badly was the USA ripped off----your know like in money.... MONEY. He, and others do not want that to be addressed. He rather list the names of MMS chicks who had non-commercial intercourse, as some big diversion.
I am begining to wodner if the DOI (IG) is playing games with America , playing both the PRESS and the public as suckers.
He spends $ 5 million, and his biggest finding is some MMS chick was screwing ---some OILY guy.
But , he never addreesed how badly the USA got screwed, ripped off, bilked---is this guy some wack job or what ?

Yes, MMS and its police on the personal relations of MMS chicks, can't you see Earl, following them around with his $ 5 million expense account.. Wow, will that be some FOIA and other suit to look behind the veil on all of that.

[Ken Huffman]

"Prohibitive sources", huh? Man, I love it when IG's talk tough. Where would good government be without IG oversight? These folks are Saints I tell ya' and smart too.