Report: Drilling lacked required permits

WASHINGTON, May 14 (UPI) -- A U.S. agency let oil firms drill in the Gulf of Mexico without getting permits from another federal agency that assesses environmental threats, records show.

The approvals by Minerals Management Services -- under fire for its seemingly conflicted tasks of regulating oil companies and collecting royalties -- include one for the well drilled by the Deepwater Horizon rig that exploded April 20, killing 11 workers and resulting in hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil spewing into the gulf each day, The New York Times reported Friday.

MMS issued the permits despite being warned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration about the impact drilling likely would have on the gulf. NOAA is responsible for protecting endangered species and marine life.

Despite the cautions, MMS approved at least three lease sales, 103 seismic blasting projects and 346 drilling plans since January 2009, the Times said. Agency records also indicate permission for the projects and plans was granted without getting permits as required by the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

"MMS has given up any pretense of regulating the offshore oil industry," said Kieran Suckling, director of the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental advocacy group in Tucson, Ariz. "The agency seems to think its mission is to help the oil industry evade environmental laws."

The organization filed a notice of intent to sue MMS over its non-compliance with federal law concerning endangered species.

MMS spokeswoman Kendra Barkoff said the agency, a unit of the Interior Department, consulted with NOAA about endangered species in the gulf, but she declined to say whether the necessary permits were obtained.

On Tuesday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced plans to reorganize MMS to split its safety oversight duties from its royalties collection.