October 03, 2007
The Inspector General for the U.S. Dept. of the Interior has issued a report on problems in the oil and gas royalty programs.
The report, issued on September 17, 2007, is titled Minerals Management Service: False Claims Allegations.
The transmittal letter says that the report “chronicles a series of events that led to the filing of multiple qui tam, or false claims, lawsuits by employees and former employees of the Minerals Management Service (MMS).”
A September 26, 2007 article in the New York Times said that the report offered a sharp description of failures at the MMS and that it suggested that the agency was too cozy with oil companies and that internal critics had good reason to fear punishment.