"When Ken Salazar took the reins at Interior nine months ago, it was apparent the "new sheriff," as he was calling himself, had a big job ahead of him in cleaning up a department plagued by scandal and mismanagement.

In recent weeks, the magnitude of the work has come into focus, and so too has Salazar's resolve in taking on the department's entrenched practices and culture.

Salazar's recent announcement that he would end a flawed oil and gas royalty program is evidence of his commitment to improving the department. But a recent congressional probe that said inappropriate fast- tracking of oil and gas permitting shortchanged environmental oversight also shows the breadth of the agency's troubles.

It may seem that Salazar is playing a game of bureaucratic Whac-A- Mole, taking down one problem only to have another pop up. But if Salazar sticks with reform efforts, he'll get the department straightened out.

We were glad to hear Salazar tell Congress earlier this month that he would end the Minerals Management Service's controversial "royalty-in-kind" program."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Salazar making headway as Interior's "new sheriff" (The Denver Post 9/22)

OIG Reports:
Gregory W. Smith | MMS Oil Marketing Group - Lakewood | Federal Business Solutions Contracts

GAO Documents:
Federal Oil And Gas Management: Opportunities Exist to Improve Oversight | MMS Could Do More to Improve the Accuracy of Key Data Used to Collect and Verify Oil and Gas Royalties | Royalty-In-Kind Program: MMS Does Not Provide Reasonable Assurance It Receives Its Share of Gas, Resulting in Millions in Forgone Revenue

House Natural Resources Committee Hearings:
Full Committee Legislative Hearing On H.R. 3534, The CLEAR Act (Part 1) | Full Committee Legislative Hearing On H.R. 3534, The CLEAR Act (Part 2)

Related Stories:
Editorial: Restoring trust at Interior Department (9/22)
Interior to phase out troubled royalty program (9/17)