Interior Dept Under Investigation For Document Tampering

The Inspector General sent a letter to the Natural Resources Committee Republicans: In response to a letter from Natural Resources Committee Republicans, Department of Interior (DOI) Acting Inspector General Mary Kendall today confirmed she is conducting an open investigation into allegations that the Department altered the 30-day safety report to the President on Outer Continental Shelf drilling to include recommendation of a deepwater drilling moratorium after it was peer-reviewed by seven experts from the National Academy of Engineers.

From Ranking Member Doc Hastings (W-04) “After thousands of Americans have lost their jobs, a federal judge has slapped back Secretary Salazar’s moratorium as ‘arbitrary’, and the experts themselves have publicly challenged the moratorium document, it’s certainly time for the Administration’s actions to be investigated. It is clear now more than ever that the government’s deepwater drilling decisions need to be guided by strong science, not partisan politics. If the Obama Administration purposefully manipulated the views of known experts on deepwater drilling and deceived the public, there should be serious consequences. The current moratorium on deepwater energy exploration is costing Americans their jobs and causing significant economic harm to a region that cannot afford more hardships.”

The hypocrisy of the Obama administration manifests in the talking points that they will rely on 'true' science. It is a slap at the former Bush administration, in their claims that the Bush administration fudged scientific conclusions to fit their agenda. Everyone reads into science what the desired result is for them. The debate on the extent of climate change on our planet is an example of that. The Obama administration is no different. In this case, in the rush to shut down deep water oil drilling and force a deliberate collapse of a vital energy industry, the Interior Department altered a statement from the scientists questioned on the need for the six month moratorium. Salazar's office altered the conclusions to fit it's desire for the moratorium.

Hypocrisy, thy name is Team Obama.