Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne told the House Natural Resources Committee Thursday that he might fire employees in the Mineral Management Service for unethical behavior. Kempthorne was summoned to testify on a series of scathing inspector general reports that detailed a culture of ethical failure” within the agency that is charged with collecting oil and gas royalties for, among others, Indian tribes.
The reports released last week cites some MMS employees for “a callous disregard for the ethical rules by which the rest of us are required to play.” The OIG investigation found that some MMS officials ignored government procurement regulations and that some employees were accepting gifts from and having sexual relationships with oil and gas company employees.
Kempthorne said Interior would follow all the recommendations from the inspector general, including enhanced oversight of the agency and a stronger ethics program. He said he would be considering the full spectrum of disciplinary action, including termination. Go to the New York Times for more.
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