Report Details Ethics Violations Of Offshore Agency

by Brian Naylor, NPR

Officials in the government office that oversees oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico accepted gifts from the oil industry, including tickets to sport events, downloaded pornography on their work computers and engaged in illegal drug use. One inspector even conducted offshore oil platform inspections while negotiating for a job with the platform's owner. The activities outlined in a report released today by the Interior Department's inspector General occurred between 2000 and 2008, and were not directly related to the Deepwater Horizon explosion. But Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says the abuses are yet another reason to clean house at the Minerals Management Service.

Broadcast Dates

• All Things Considered, May 25, 2010