Washington, DC:Rep. Ed Markey, a senior Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce and Resources Committees on the New York Times' revelations about MMS officials under investigation for possible criminal cooperation with oil and gas companies:

"The Bush Administration's ties with big oil are well known, but these relationships in the Interior Department between regulators and the oil and gas companies they regulate are beyond the pale.  The allegation that any senior official who is responsible for collecting royalties from companies that drill on public lands is also taking money from those companies as a consultant is beyond a conflict of interest, if true, it is a crime.  The Interior Department is riddled with people who got their jobs because they were close to the oil industry and could be expected to
tilt every decision accordingly.   Royalties owed to the government
from production on public lands have become the currency of cozy cooperation between industry and its special friends in the Interior Department.

"Helping Big Oil cheat American taxpayers out of billions in royalties is like helping a schoolyard bully take lunch money from smaller kids - it is just plain wrong.  The Bush Administration's lax guardianship of taxpayers' money will be fully examined in the new Congress and their stewardship of public lands should finally be held to account."

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