Inspector

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett fired Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Richard Allan on Thursday after he reportedly used offensive language in email messages, disparaging another government employee.

A former Helmerich & Payne Inc. (H&P) drilling manager has been charged with making false statements to the Department of Interior’s Office of Inspector General regarding a key safety device on a Gulf of Mexico drilling rig. Donald Hudson, 49, of Walnut Grove, MS, was employed by H&P as the drilling rig manager for Rig 206 from Oct. 14, 2009 until May 27, 2010. Rig 206’s blowout preventer (BOP), like other BOP systems, has to be pressure tested at regular intervals prior to continued drilling operations, and results of the tests, including any problems or irregularities, also are to be recorded. On March 30, 2011 Hudson allegedly lied to investigators about instructing the rig’s crew to falsify BOP testing results, according to U.S. Attorney Jim Letten, who oversees the Eastern District of Louisiana. Testimony by other crew members revealed that Hudson had told the crew to close valves on the BOP choke manifold to prevent leaks, said Letten. In May 2011 H&P indicated in a regulatory filing that it suspended operations on an offshore rig after an employee reported possible “testing irregularities” and said “certain employees” were fired. No environmental or other harm occurred and the BOP system ultimately was repaired, Letten noted. If Hudson is found guilty, he faces up to five years in prison, as well as a fine of up to $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release following a prison term.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is requiring its inspectors to get all actions related to Marcellus Shale activities pre-approved by DEP Secretary Mike Krancer.

An investigation by the Interior Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) revealed that Royal Dutch Shell benefited during the awarding of oil shale leases by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 2005-2006, but it did not find any evidence that the producer committed any criminal violations, according to a new report by the OIG.

The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) has hired four inspectors, one inspector supervisor and one enforcement analyst for the sole purpose of monitoring natural gas drilling, production and water disposal activities in the Fayetteville Shale.

The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) has hired four inspectors, one inspector supervisor and one enforcement analyst for the sole purpose of monitoring natural gas drilling, production and water disposal activities.

Two House Republicans have called on the Interior Department’s Acting Inspector General Mary Kendall to open an investigation into allegations that the Obama administration altered peer-reviewed recommendations by experts in a report to justify the 60-day moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

Two Republicans on a House panel have called on the Interior Department’s Acting Inspector General Mary Kendall to open an investigation into allegations that the Obama administration altered peer-reviewed recommendations by experts in a report to justify the 60-day moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

The inspector general (IG) of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has initiated an independent inquiry of the agency’s market surveillance operations, according to a semi-annual report forwarded to Congress.