House committee to probe ‘revolving door’ at drilling agency

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.) said Sunday that his panel’s probe of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill will review whether there has been a “revolving door” at the federal agency that regulates offshore drilling.

Towns announced on May 14 that the committee would investigate “potential lapses in oversight” in recent years by the federal Minerals Management Service.

On Sunday he expressed concern about a revolving door, noting he would explore MMS staff “in terms of how they move from one area to another, they move out into the private sector then they move back in.”

“You have to be careful about that. You need to make certain there are no sweetheart deals and sweetheart arrangements,” Towns said, speaking on the television program "Platts Energy Week."

Towns also praised plans by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to split MMS into three separate agencies, calling it a “giant step in the right direction.”

MMS currently permits offshore drilling, enforces safety rules and collects billions of dollars in production royalties – a mix of roles that Salazar believes creates conflicting missions.

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