The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) Blog
In case you missed it, yesterday Congressman Rahm Emanuel entered a statement into the Congressional Record honoring former Department of Interior employee Bobby Maxwell for a job well done on holding big oil accountable. Here is an excerpt:
The jury found what Mr. Maxwell and many of us already knew: Kerr-McGee had indeed failed to pay the federal government approximately $7.5 million they owed for oil production from publicly owned coastal waters. I regret that Mr. Maxwell had to lose his job to expose the greed of this company and the failures at MMS, but his story is a positive one. Both he and the federal government will benefit from his diligence and service. Kerr-McGee will have to pay significant penalties as a result of underpayment and false statements in their royalty reports. Additionally, Mr. Maxwell is not alone-three other auditors from MMS have filed whistleblowing cases against companies that the Interior Department blocked them from investigating.
Madam Speaker, Mr. Maxwell and these other dedicated public servants deserve our recognition and gratitude. They have stood up and declared that the public's trust and money both deserve our attention, respect, and protection. I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Mr. Maxwell and congratulating him on a job well done. Let us follow his example by continuing to put accountability ahead.
-- Beth Daley
