U.S. Department of the Interior News
Date: September 12, 2008
Secretary of the Interior Dirk
Kempthorne
Initiates Action Following Receipt of Inspector General Reports
WASHINGTON – Secretary of
the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today initiated action following
yesterday’s receipt of Inspector General reports on Minerals
Management Service (MMS) Royalty In Kind (RIK) program employees.
Following his call for “swift
action,” Secretary Kempthorne this afternoon issued a memorandum to
Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management C. Stephen Allred
and MMS Director Randall Luthi outlining his expectations. In the
memorandum, Secretary Kempthorne wrote:
“Now that we have received this
report and have the information to proceed further, we will take swift
action to restore the public trust. Working with Department of the
Interior (DOI) legal counsel, the MMS today will begin taking
appropriate disciplinary actions… I received today the memo from the
MMS Director detailing … further corrective actions. I concur with
these proposed actions and expect immediate implementation.”
Also today, Secretary Kempthorne
received a memorandum from MMS Director Randall Luthi detailing the
course of action that Luthi intends to take in response to the
report. In the memorandum, Luthi wrote:
“I am taking appropriate immediate
administrative action in accordance with applicable Federal
requirements for competitive career civil service employees…I concur
with your suggestion that we examine implementation of a random drug
testing program. Consistent with your emphasis on ethical behavior,
we have strengthened our comprehensive ethics training for all
employees…”
Both memoranda are posted online
at
www.doi.gov.
Earlier today, Secretary
Kempthorne issued the following statement in response to the reports:
“I am outraged by the immoral
behavior, illegal activities, and appalling misconduct of several
former and current long-serving career employees in the Minerals
Management Service’s Royalty in Kind program. These individuals have
eroded the trust the American citizens deserve to have in their public
servants.
“During this investigation, as we
awaited the Inspector General’s final reports, individuals were
transferred out of the RIK program. Now that we have received this
report and have the information to proceed further, we will take swift
action to restore the public trust.
“In the memo conveying the report,
the Inspector General affirmed my frustration with the length of time
it has taken to receive this investigative report. The Inspector
General has acknowledged the assertive steps we took to replace the
key leadership and staff in the affected components of MMS.
“I am heartened by the fact that
in his report the Inspector General stated that ‘99.9 percent of DOI
employees are hard-working, ethical and well-intentioned.’ I share
that view. Unfortunately, as the Inspector General pointed out, the
conduct of a few has cast a shadow on an entire agency. We must and we
will eliminate any remaining negative elements in the Minerals
Management Service.”
Contact:
Shane Wolfe,
202-208-6416
MMS: Securing Ocean Energy & Economic Value for America
U.S. Department of the Interior
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