Royalties from the energy industry are an important source of revenue for the U.S. government. But regulatory mismanagement means much goes uncollected, a GAO report finds.
The sex and drugs scandal revealed earlier this week at the Interior Department may be just the start.
A Government Accountability Office study set for release Friday says the department lacks basic procedures for monitoring the oil industry, and that these shortfalls could be cheating taxpayers out of billions of dollars in revenue. CNN received a draft of the report on Thursday.
The department's failure to consistently check oil-company supplied production data, the report found, "raises questions about the accuracy of royalty payments."
"This report shows that the U.S. has one of the most lenient royalty collection systems in the world and calls into question whether taxpayers are getting a fair return for the resources they own," said Rep. Nick Rahall, D-West Virginia and chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee.
TVNL Comment: Mismanagement? Nonesense. This is criminal behavior that can be traced directly to the electoral coup conducted in 2000. This is the result of Cheney's secret energy policy meetins and an administration comprised of oil cartel members.
The governor takes on a swarm of media in the footage for about 30 minutes. This is a pretty intense interview!
Shampoo, hair gel, toothpaste, foot balm, body lotion, cleaning products, laundry detergent, washing up liquid; every chemical is a suspect. And even if you think you are using a natural organic product that is great for someone else, it doesn't mean it suits you. Some people (myself included) are so sensitive that they need to vary the skin products they use from week to week so they don't become intolerant.
According to an article in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the average American eats about 44 kg (about 97 pounds) of beef every year. That number may be shocking to some people. However, it's not nearly as shocking as the news reported by The Daily Green concerning the latest addition to the diet of the American cow: "potato chip and chocolate waste not fit for the junk food aisle at the grocery store."
The top military officer at the Pentagon has told a Congressional committee that US and international forces are not winning the war in Afghanistan.
A special counsel has asked Alaskan lawmakers to subpoena Gov. Sarah Palin's husband and a dozen aides as part of the investigation into Palin's firing of her public safety commissioner.
