Abstract
RESPONDING TO A BARRAGE of bad news and public anger over the monthlong BP oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, President Barack Obama on May 27 announced a freeze on new exploratory drilling activities and signaled upcoming regulatory reforms within the Minerals Management Service (MMS), the Department of the Interior agency that oversees offshore oil and gas drilling. Only hours before Obama’s briefing, the U.S. Geological Survey said it had found the size of the leak to be between 17 million and 39 million gal, making it the worst oil spill in U.S. history, far exceeding the Exxon Valdez’ 11 million gal. Also on that same morning, the Interior Department said MMS head S. Elizabeth Birnbaum had resigned. The President described his intention to end the “cozy and sometimes corrupt” relationship between MMS inspectors and the oil industry and to create a new top-level commission to examine the BP spill and oil drilling ...
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