Firing of MMS Head is Damage Control, Not Real Reform

Para su publicación inmediata:
May 27, 2010

Contacto:
Kelly Trout, 202-222-0722, [email protected]
Nick Berning, 202-222-0748, [email protected]

Firing of MMS Head is Damage Control, Not Real Reform

Washington, D.C. — Friends of the Earth’s president, Erich Pica, had the following response to an Associated Press report that President Obama has fired Elizabeth Birnbaum, the head of the U.S. Minerals Management Service:

“This is a scapegoat firing, not the deep-seated reform that’s needed. Ms. Birnbaum inherited an agency crippled by a culture of collusion with the oil industry that permeated at all levels. A drastic overhaul of not just MMS, but the Department of the Interior is needed to make sure that the catastrophic regulatory failures that fueled the Gulf Drilling Disaster are not repeated. President Obama and Secretary Salazar need to commit to more than superficial actions to truly root out Big Oil’s influence in government.”

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Amigos de la Tierra y nuestra red de organizaciones de base en 77 países luchan por crear un mundo más sano y justo. Nuestras campañas actuales se centran en la energía limpia y las soluciones al calentamiento global, la protección de las personas frente a tecnologías tóxicas y nuevas potencialmente dañinas, y la promoción de alternativas de transporte más inteligentes y menos contaminantes.