Obama appoints a replacement for Elizabeth Birnbaum who has resigned under pressure as the head of the Interior Department’s Minerals Management Agency after just ten months in office. Her replacement is former Justice Department inspector general Michael Bromwich.
 Out: Elizabeth Birnbaum (left) and In: Michael Bromwich (right) |
The Minerals Management Agency is the regulatory watchdog for the drilling industry. It has drawn flak after the disaster on Deepwater Horizon on April 20, 2010 for being a part of the problem rather than the solution.
It was seen as captive to the industry which it was supposed to oversee and its laxity led to the accident. President Obama, in a bid to make visible changes, appointed the new head of the agency and hoped that cozy relationship between the oil companies and the agency would be shaken up.
Bromwich is expected to oversee the reorganization of the Minerals Management Agency to help eliminate conflicts of interest and reinforce safety standards by regulating industry compliance.