Interior Dept. to investigate Bush administration's oil shale deals

[kpete]

Source: The Hill


Interior Dept. to investigate Bush administration's oil shale deals
By Tony Romm - 10/20/09 02:37 PM ET

The Interior Department announced Tuesday it would open an investigation into whether the previous administration "set favorable conditions" to encourage oil-shale development in the Midwest.

The forthcoming review arrives to the satisfaction of local watchdogs and environmental groups, who have long questioned why President George W. Bush just five days before exiting office added a number of acres to its standing oil-shale leases and negotiated lower royalty rates without first notifying the public.

“Taxpayers deserve answers to serious questions about why these lease addenda were granted at the eleventh hour, under what circumstances, and at what potential expense to the federal treasury,” Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar explained in a statement Tuesday.

“We must reform our nation’s oil shale program and ensure that the American people have the promise of a fair return from their resources,” he added.

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/63905-...

[tomm2thumbs]

1. 11th hour is right - these are giveaways to oil companies that will be taken back

Bush was a f*ckin' player and thought he'd line his nest with some industry support for a job down the line

[maddezmom]

2. duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...