Report: White House altered drilling safety report

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Interior Department's inspector general says the White House edited a drilling safety report in a way that made it falsely appear that scientists and experts supported the idea of the administration's six-month ban on new drilling.

The inspector general says the editing changes resulted "in the implication that the moratorium recommendation had been peer reviewed." But it hadn't been. The scientists were only asked to review new safety measures for offshore drilling.

"There was no intent to mislead the public," said Kendra Barkoff, a spokeswoman for Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who also recommended in the May 27 safety report that a moratorium be placed on deepwater oil and gas exploration. "The decision to impose a temporary moratorium on deepwater drilling was made by the secretary, following consultation with colleagues including the White House."

The Interior Department, after one of the reviewers complained about the inference, promptly issued an apology to the reviewers during a conference call, with a letter and personal meeting in June.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hRwfhH6s7kyZkH3Lh02aURIZ_T5w?docId=b0178a0029ce46f98c171a22d23b3174

[ixion]

1. Ah yes... creative editing. An oldie but a goody, and apparently

not part of the so-called 'change'.

[Tikki]

2. Let's see..this is pro-active..and some..

(here) say this Administration has not been pro-active...:shrug:


Tikki

[ProSense]

3. How is it that these reports are focused on stupid messaging

but BP isn't liable for anything?

BP did nothing wrong except caused the worse oil spill in U.S. history?

[blackspade]

4. Propaganda

More pro-drilling crap.
Anything to discredit the idea that we should not drill in waters deeper than our technology allows for safety.
Anything to change the subject from conservation and renewable resources.

[Freddie Stubbs]

5. Any idea why the Interior Department's inspector general is putting out pro-drilling propaganda?

[Doctor_J]

6. Maybe because the secretary and WH are pro-drilling?

just a wild guess :shrug:

[Freddie Stubbs]

7. If the WH is pro-drilling, why would it change the report to suggest that

the scientists supported the drilling ban?

[blackspade]

8. Politics.

Right after the BP disaster a pro-drilling stance was not exactly popular with the public.
As the media moved on, so did the public. A reversal of the ban was inevitable at that point.

[0rganism]

12. maybe he's a W appointee?

I dunno... just a thought. Seems like Obama didn't really make much of an effort to drain the swamp when he took over.

Funny how its always resource extraction companies and their pet scientists who get the first and final say on these things, tho.
"Don't use us for cover!" they say. Yeah, well, maybe the DOI shouldn't have consulted them in the first place...

[ixion]

13. Two words: Big Energy

And Dick Cheney's energy policy has something to do with it, I imagine.

[Turbineguy]

9. Hey guys!

Let's do it different than Bush. Let's just tell the truth.

[Fearless]

10. Jesus Christ we can't even get an oil spill right?!

[SpankMe]

11. This is what Republicans do; not Democrats.

I know the president is promising to reach out and take on some Republican ideas in the interest of bipartisanship. But, emulating the criminal behaviors of the Republicans is going too far.