WASHINGTON — Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told lawmakers Thursday that he will use his regulatory authority to impose strict new rules on department officials becoming lobbyists for the oil and gas industries.
Salazar, who has supported legislative efforts to address what he acknowledges is a problem, offered few details about what rules he might impose but told members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that he would report back.
Michael Bromwich, the newly appointed head of the Interior Department agency that regulates oil drilling, assured the committee he would never work for the oil industry.
“You’ll never see me in this position,” Bromwich said. “I’ll say right now that I’ll impose a lifetime ban on contacts with the agency, and I hope that sets an example for other people in the agency and other people throughout government.”
His statement came after Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., asked about a Washington Post story that said dozens of former Interior officials had crossed over into the industries and that three out of four industry lobbyists had once worked for the federal government.
The Washington Post
