Salazar pledges to review drilling agency methods

WASHINGTON — Following the catastrophic Gulf oil spill, the Obama administration is tightening procedures at the agency that grants offshore drilling permits to ensure it follows all environmental laws.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said the review will focus on whether the Minerals Management Service is following the National Environmental Policy Act and other environmental laws before issuing permits for offshore oil and gas development.

He and Nancy Sutley, chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, announced the review Friday, minutes after President Barack Obama pledged to end a "cozy relationship" between the oil industry and federal regulators that he said had existed for years and into his own administration.

Obama said that oil drilling permits had been granted without appropriate environmental reviews.

"That cannot and will not happen anymore," Obama said.

Two newspapers reported Friday that drilling plans received approval from the Obama administration without the permits required under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

The Washington Post and New York Times said the approvals included the Deepwater Horizon rig, which exploded last month, killing 11 people and leading to the spill of millions of gallons of oil.

The Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity has filed a notice to sue Salazar for ignoring the laws when granting the permits. The group said Interior has approved three lease sales, more than 100 seismic surveys and more than 300 drilling operations without the required permits.

"Under Salazar's watch, the Department of the Interior has treated the Gulf of Mexico as a sacrifice area where laws are ignored and wildlife protection takes a backseat to oil-company profits," said Miyoko Sakashita, the center's oceans director.

MMS is required to get permits under the two environmental laws for drilling that might harm endangered species or marine mammals.

Salazar, who has previously announced plans to split the minerals agency into two parts, said the administration remains focused on providing every resource it can to respond to the oil leak, while also investigating what happened and what can be done to prevent a future accident.