Obama will talk to BP's chairman tomorrow about setting up an escrow account to pay for damages.
He said for the safety of everyone, the moratorium on offshore drilling won't be lifted until there has been a thorough review.
Obama said now is the time to accelerate a transition to a new energy economy. Cynics will note that most presidents have talked about getting off of fossil fuels. We'll have to see how Obama follows through. (He's invited moderate Scott Brown to the White House to talk clean energy. I think Lindsey Graham has bailed.)
Obama said the Minerals Management Service has been a wretched little agency, best buddies with the oil companies, and now that's going to change with the appointment of Michael Bromwich.
The man appointed Tuesday by President Obama to oversee offshore oil drilling has no experience with oil and gas issues but he has a reputation for cleaning up embattled organizations.
Michael Bromwich will need those skills as the new director of the Minerals Management Service, an agency that has come under fire in recent years for failing to adequately monitor offshore oil and gas development.
The agency, part of the Interior Department, has been the subject of two scathing inspector general's reports in the past two years, documenting how MMS officials have improperly accepted gifts from officials they regulate and have even engaged in illegal drug use and sexual activities with them.
Bromwich's résumé boasts a long list of watchdog positions. WaPo
