Interior Department Creates Office To Collect Oil, Gas Revenue

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES ^ | Friday 10/01/2010 2:53 PM ET | Tennille Tracy

[Rabin]

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- The U.S. Interior Department is taking steps to eliminate conflicts of interest within its various branches in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, announcing Friday it has created a new office to collect billions of dollars in oil and gas revenue. The newly formed Office of Natural Resources Revenue will take over revenue collection from the offshore-drilling regulatory branch, known as the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement. That agency formerly oversaw both revenue collection and permit approvals. Last year, the bureau disbursed more than $10.6 billion of revenue to the U.S. Treasury, as well as state, American Indian and special-use accounts.

This is significant... for the American taxpayers, whose interests will be better protected by improved collection and management of revenues, said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in a statement.

The creation of the new revenue office is part of a broader reorganization launched by Salazar in May.

[Rabin]

2006, Salazar voted to end (most) limits on offshore oil drilling in Florida's Gulf Coast. 2007, was one of only a handful of Democrats to vote against a bill that would have require the United States Army Corps of Engineers to consider global warming when planning water projects. 2009, the bureau (Salazar) disbursed more than $10.6 billion of revenue to Treasury, State, and American Indian special-use accounts. The creation of the new revenue office is part of a broader reorganization, "American taxpayers, interests will be better protected by the improved collection and management of revenues…"

Has K Sal been turned to the dark side?/??/?

May only be a spitting contest between the jackals.

R.

[UCANSEE2]

“whose interests will be better protected by improved collection and management of revenues,”

Yeah. Like that will really happen.

[spokeshave]

Maybe they can subcontract the collections to the Bureau of Native Indian Affairs...for the economy of scale don’t you know....

[EQAndyBuzz]

“The U.S. Interior Department is taking steps to eliminate conflicts of interest within its various branches in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, announcing Friday it has created a new office to collect billions of dollars in oil and gas revenue. “

Where else would oil revenue be collected from? Maybe Alaska? The same Alaska where Lisa Murkowski was told she could keep her committee seat by the establishment Republicans? Where she is getting support for a write-in candidacy after losing to the Conservative candidate?

Something doesn’t smell right.

[Red Badger]

Isn’t the IRS supposed to do that?
When money collection is shifted from one part of the gov to another, corruption is inevitable..........

[Red Badger]

I smell a dead fish.................