The House Natural Resources Committee questions the Acting Interior Department Inspector General Mary Kendall over her involvement in the administration’s temporary freeze on deepwater drilling after the BP oil spill. A 2010 Interior Department report claimed that outside engineers backed the freeze, even though they hadn’t. Interior Sec. Salazar later apologized for the mistake. Committee Republicans on Thursday questioned IG Kendall’s ability to conduct an independent investigation into the matter.
Acting Inspector Gen. Kendall is accused of a conflict of interest relating to the deep water drilling moratorium. She has denied wrongdoing, stating she did not actively participate in the writing of the report.