so secretary ken salazar and i are bringing in new leadership at the agency. michael bromwich, who is a tough federal prosecutor and inspector general. his charge over the next few months is to build an organization that acts as the oil industry's watchdog, not its partner. one of the lessons we have learned from this spill is that we need better regulations and better safety standards and better enforcement. but a larger lesson is that, no matter how much we improve our regulation of the industry, drilling for oil these days entails greater risks. after all, oil is a finite resource. we consume more than 20% of the world's oil but have less than 2% of the world's oil reserves. that is part of the reason oil companies are drilling one mile beneath the surface of the ocean. because we are running out of places to drill on land and in shallow water. for decades, we have known the days of cheap and asily accessibll oil were numbered. for decades, we talked and talked about the need to end america's century-long addiction to fossil fuels. for decades, we have fail

so ken salazar has been trying to clean it up. >> lehrer: senator barrasso, what about b.p. specifically? house democrat ed markey said the other day-- and i think he repeated it again today-- that he wouldn't believe anything b.p. said now. it didn't matter what it was, he wouldn't believe it. do you feel the same way? >> well, first let me say with regard to minerals management, ron widen, democrat, john barrasso, republican, introduced a bill two years ago in 2008 to try to clean up the sorts of things that senator nelson has talked about. so i agree we need to do something there and some of us have been trying to do that 0 for several years. i am skeptical of what i hear from b.p. we've heard estimates at the beginning that continued to grow so i don't know if they know what the truth is on this or if they've been advised by lawyers to not talk about things. but i'm absolutely concerned about the truth and what the american people are hearing. >> lehrer: senator nelson, you've suggest, also, that there should be a criminal investigation of b.p. to see if any laws were br

drilling i went to the c-span website, and i came along a memorandum that he sent on march 31 to ken salazar. it was a withdrawal of leasing for any wheel a oil or dassgas development. but i saw an interview that the president was still talking about more drilling to get the prices down. if he was still calling for more drilling, but knew he had signed an executive order on march 31, two weeks before i, i hope somebody investigate that. it is a little strange that he would keep calling for more drilling and he has already signed an executive order. you can see it on the white house website. just to let people know the price of gas in cleveland has gone up 22 cents since he stopped drilling. i hate to see by the end of summer what we will be paying. and if they just put more money into natural gas energy -- they have been subsidizing the wind and solar energy for years. host: general petraeus was on capitol hill testifying about the progress made in afghanistan. he is back up there today. on c-span3 we will cover the house senate negotiations on financial regulations, and we will join that in

when ken salazar became my secretary of the interior, one of his very first acts was to clean up the worst of the corruption at this agency. but it is not clear that the problems there ran much deeper, and the pace of reform was much too slow. secretary salazar and i are briiging in new leadership at the agency, michael bromwich, who was a tough prosecutor and inspector general. his charge of the next few months is to build an organization that acts as the oil industry's watchdog, not its partner. one of the lessons we have learned from this bill is that we need better regulations, better safety standards, and better enforcement when it comes offshore drilling. but a larger lesson is that no matter how much we improve our regulation, drilling for oil these days entails greater risk. oil is a finite resource. we consume more than 20% of the world's oil, but have less than 2% of the world's oil reserves. and that is part of the reason oil companies are drilling a mile beneath the surface of the ocean. we are running out of places too drill on land and in shallow water. for decades, we

ken salazar started the job, think he found a bigger mess than he bargained forch . government does have a job to play in regulating not just this industry but other industries so consumers, the environment are protected. just getting back to this moratorium. nobody wants them to be safer than people living close to them. people in louisiana, mississippi, and texas. but we have to do this for the deep water rigs faster and let the shallow rigs operate as quickly and safely as we can. it is not just louisiana jobs. the entire nation depends on this energy propose duction. even as we move to a cleaner, greener, energy future. we have to revamp minerals management. i tell you there is a lot more that needs to be done. the president's call for gulf coast restoration was music to our ears. i mean james has been ape great voice, but there have been many organizations, america's wetlands. restore, retreat, and we have got plans, larry, i have been on your show before, talking about this, we have to win this battle for gulf coast restoration. and the revenue-sharing, or dire

. >> ifill: ken salazar tried to reassure lawmakers on the senate energy panel that the ban would only be temporary. >> it's the pause button. it's not the stop button but it's the pause button. it's a pause button so we can make sure if we move forward with drilling in the outer continue netal shelf that it can be done in a way that is protective of people and protective of the environment as well. >> ifill: earlier today at an oil conference in london, transocean, the owner of the sunken rig, criticized the obama administration's approach. ceo steven newman told reporters there are things the administration could implement today that would allow the industry to go back to work tomorrow without an arbitrary six month time limit. b.p. also came in for criticism. protesters twice interrupted a speech by b.p. chief of staff steve westwell who was standing in for ceo tony hayward. other oil executives at the conference warned that the deep water drilling ban was ... would cripple world energy supplies. the court decision did not end the debate. for more on what's driving it, we turn to ra

at a senate hearing, interior secretary ken salazar said the obama administration still plans to appeal but he said he'll issue a new order to address the judge's concern. >> it is important that this moratorium stay in place until we can assure that deep water drilling can be done in a safe way. >> reporter: and steny hoyer wrote to the president seek a summit with east coast governors and local officials, citing fears oil from the gulf spill eventually could reach the atlantic ocean and move north. >> the federal reserve will hold interest rates at record lows. policy makers pledged today to keep them there for an extended period. they cited corporates about the effects of europe's debt crisis. the fed statement on europe undercut with any moment oum wall street .the dow jones gained just under five points to close at 10298. the nasdaq fell seven points to close at 2254. the crews fighting a huge wildfire in arizona reported some progress today. the blaze near flagstaff was 20% contained after scorching 22 square miles. about one thon people were allowed to return to their homes inspe

ken salazar will be at that hearing. live coverage on c-span radio and c-sppn3 television.had been in charge of the operations in the americas and asia at will report to tony hayward. more on the oil spill coming up in a moment on "washingttn journal." the federal reserve is expected to leave interest rates at record lows and to keep them there for awhile. those are some f the latest headlines on c-span radio. recounts aard re trial. 45 days in a dark cell after being captured by taliban fighters. he writes about it in "captive." find the entire weekend schedule at booktv.org. and join us on twitter. >> learn more about general stanley mcchrystal. watches c-span appearances with the c-span video library, free on your computer any time. it is washington your way. >> "washington journal" continues. host: john shadegg is here to talk about a whale drrlling. -- is here to talk about oil drilling. this is a story yesterday in "the new york times" quoting the epa administrator, and co-chair of this mission to look at this. any moratorium would require the industry require safer d

host: in one of the editorials you took aim at ken salazar -- what kind of job do think has been doing? and more specifically, mms which is gone through its on transformation as a result of the april 20 spill? guest: obviously, mms has done a terrible job. at this time i don't know how much we can expect the federal government to do. certainly, there is no expertise to stop this well from leaking. it will have to be bp. we would like to see -- it is hard to understand bp's responne gutted by the coast guard and pushed by the federal it seems to be so strange, lacking. -pthe oil is appearing close to here and we would like to see a whole fleet out there hitting phe edges of it before it hits, but they keep telling us that there are skimmers ut there. we do not see many. we are expecting to see an overwhelming response. we want to see bp i do like this is their own backyard and we're not sure that ww are seeing that. host: yet we do see a new advertising campaign with the ceo tony nayward saying that they will get this right, essentially. do you dobp? >> did you believe bp? guest: they c

>> at the time of the accident, the president asked ken salazar to undertake a 30-day review. they reached out and talk to a lot of experts and got a lot of input. some of the people who provided input -- policy decisions were made based on those recommendations. mr. salazar made a decision to recommend a moratorium. that was a policy decision. what the experts were providing was expert advice, but not the policy decisions under the purview of the secretary. >> i will say this again. the president said this last night. we do not know what happened. 33 additional wells were being drilled at deep water depths. as we now know, the largest environmental disaster in our country was taking place. the president did not think it made sense to continue those drilling activities as we were dealing with this without knowing what was going on. i have said this before and i will say it again. the president has told governor generajindal and others, we cant here and trust bp to do anything, but we are going to take their word on the drilling in they had going on in deep water even as we had

interior secretary ken salazar has joined this hearing with michael bromwich who will head the new agency. >> i would like to say good morning and welcome, everyone, to the interior subcommittee is oversight hearing on the proposed reorganization of the minerals management service. the responsibility had been conducted by the minerals management service into a new management structures that will improve the management, oversight, and accountability of activities on the outer continental shelf, ensure a fair return to the taxpayer from royalty and revenue collection and provide independent safety and internal oversight and enforcement of offshore activities. our principal witness this morning, the person who will walk us through the proposed reorganization, is the secretary of the department of interior, ken salazar. thank you, mr. secretary, for finding time in what i know is incredibly busy schedule. we are also joined by michael bromwich, a former inspector general at the department of justice who has been appointed by the president to implement the reorganization and reform effort. i h

when interior secretary kinsella's art took office, he found an agency -- secretary ken salazar took an agency that had appaling activity that took place before last year. secretary sella's art immediately took steps to clean up that corruption. -- secretary salazar immediately took steps to clean up that corruption. we have decided to separate the people who collect revenues and to regulate the safety of drilling. in addition, we placed a six- month moratorium on deep water oil and gas wells. the review recommended aggressive new operating standards and requirements for offshore companies, which will we will -- which we will put in place. all of that has to do with dealing with the crisis at hand. but it is critical that we take a comprehensive look at how the gas and oil industry operates and how our government oversees those operations. that is why i have signed an executive order assigning this commission. i am thrilled that the bob grant and bill o'reilly have agreed to work as cochairs. bob grant has been a chairman of the -- a champion of the environment. bill has been the cha

he dismissed the suggestion from ken salazar that the government should cap the well. he said the government did not have the resources to do that. dealing with hurricane katrinn work in his favor. birmingham, alabama, on our democrat line, go ahead. hello? i don't have birmingham. that should be birmingham. go ahead. caller: i have a suggestion to stop the oil leak. you can get this [unintelligible] and mix it with some of this power. --powder. you can use robert --rubber. i have another idea. get a small tree and put it in the hall. ole. [unintelligible] you can get a rowboat and fitted over that hole. host: thank you for your views. we have about 15-20 minutes of your calls about what is set for the u.s. energy policy after the gulf oil spill. the british prime minister complained last week about white house criticism of bp, saying it was hurting bp stock which is important to retirees in the uk. this headline succesays the u.k. should back down over be paid. are independent line, go ahead caller: thank you for cspan but i want to talk about all the promises that ha

interior secretary ken salazar is on capitol hill to testify about the reorganization of the minerals management service. that is at 11:00 a.m. eastern. at 1:00 p.m. eastern, they continued to work on the financial regulation bill. [applause] >> thank you very much. i'm appreciative of that introductionn they're setting up more chairs over here if you want to come over here. i will wait while you transition from my left to your right. depending on what your perspective is. i want to say how pleased i am to be here. i am particularly pleased to be here with you. bob and i have worked together. bhatt dixie, the leader of the coalition, an extraordinary gap. and david walker, i congratulate him on the work that he has been doing not only in its present position but in his prior position, where he brought it clear and honest analysis to some of the issues that were concerning our country, particularly from the fiscal standpoint. this month, a gallup poll asked americans to name the greatest threats facing our country. two answers tied for the top choice. one was terrorism. the other was d

host: in one of the editorials you took aim at ken salazar -- what kind of job do think has been doing? and more specifically, mms which is gone through its on transformation as a result of the april 20 spill? guest: obviously, mms has done a terrible job. at this time i don't know how much we can expect the federal government to do. certainly, there is no expertise to stop this well from leaking. it will have to be bp. we would like to see -- it is hard to understand bp's response gutted by the coast guard and pushed by the federal government. it seems to be so strange, lacking. the oil is appearing close to here and we would like to see a whole fleet out there hitting the edges of it before it hits, but they keep telling us that there are skimmers out there. we do not see many. we are expecting to see an overwhelming response. we want to see bp i do like this is their own backyard and we're not sure that we are seeing that. host: yet we do see a new advertising campaign wiih the ceo tony nayward saying that they will get this right, essentially. do you dobp? guest: they clearly under

when interior secretary ken salazar took office, for example, he found a minerals and management servicesncy that had been plagued by corruption for years -- corruption that was underscored by a recent inspector general's report that uncovered appalling activity that took place before last year. took steps to clean up that corruptionn but this oil spill has made clear that more reforms are needed. too cozy relationship between oil companies and the agencies that regulate them. that's why we've decided to separate the people who permit offshore leases, who collect revenues, and who regulate the safety of drilling. in addition, we've placed a six- month moratorium on drilling new deepwater oil and gas wells in the outer continental shelf. and now that a 30-day safety and environmental review is complete, we're making a series of changes. the review recommended aggressive new operating standards and requirements for offshore energy companies, which we will put in place. and i've also called on congress to pass a bill to provide critical resources to respond to this spill and better prepare u

then the energy secretary ken salazar's testimony on of short drilling -- offshore drilling and safety. on "washington journal" tomorrow morning, more about the gulf oil spill from the mississippi rep taylor. senator john barrasso of wyoming will discuss republican efforts to repeal the health care law. and we are joined by deborah russell of aarp to look for the economic outlook of those over 50. "washington journal" is live on c-span every day at 7:00 a.m. eastern. several live events to tell you about tomorrow on c-span 3. the senate commerce, science, and transportation committee holds a confirmation. hearing. that hearing is at 10:00 a.m. eastern. at 3:15 p.m. eastern, house and senate will offer opening statements as to begin work on the financial regulation bill. this is a first of a series of sessions planned to run to the north dakota of the month, with a final vote expected -- run to the end of the month, with a final vote expected by the fourth of july. then the governors' debate at the university of rhode island,, kingston. this sunday, c-span takes you inside the supreme c

when interior secretary ken salazar took office, he found the minerals and management services agency that had been plagued by corruption for years , underscored by a recent inspector general report that uncovered appalling activity that took place before last year. secretary salazar immediately took steps to clean up that corruption. but this oil spill has made clear that more reforms are needed. for years there has been far too cozy relationship between oil companies in the agencies that regulate them. that is why we have decided to separate the persons -- the people who permit offshore leases, who collect revenues, and who regulate the safety of drilling. we have placed a six-month moratorium on drilling new deepwater oil and gas wells and the are, shall. and now that a 30-day safety and environmental review is complete, we are making a series of changing. there are aggressive new operating standards which we will put in place. i have also called on congress to pass a bill to provide critical resources to respond to this spill and better prepare us for any spills in the future. now

we just saw the interviewhearins with ken salazar. itit looks like this is going to go on for years and years. host: senior citizens getting checks regarding the doughnut hole. the president spoke about that. >> we have a party that is running on the platform of repeal. they want to roll back these reform efforts. they say they have their own plan, but over the last 14 months of debate, they never advanced it. when you look at it, you can see why. they roll back the rebate that helps to pay for prescription medicines, they brought by the doughnut hole, they took away the insurance provisions that major insurance companies are not cheating folks who are paying their premiums. their plan would continue to allow companies to allow not giving coverage when they are sick. >guest: 1 in 10 senior citizens are going to get a check. you have to show that you want to help folks, but who is going to pay for that? the nine other people. if someone does not get a check, you have just paid for someone who it is. i watched the president's meeting. i

national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> now a hearing about offshore oil drilling regulations with ken salazarhe took the stand in front of the oil and natural resources committee for a little more than two hours. ahead and gete go started? the hearing will come to order. the committee will come to order. we are holding the fourth committee hearing in the energy and natural resources committee on the devastating oil spill in the gulf of mexico. as large volumes of oil continue to wreak havoc in the gulf, my thoughts are first with the people at the forefront of the disaster, the families of those who have lost their lives in the explosion, those who are working day and night to protect the places in the wild life they care about and often their livelihood, as well. i know all americans are thinking of the residents of the gulf region and are grateful to them and to the other responders for their work under these most difficult circumstances. >> it is clear that prior to the explosion of the deepwater horizon raid, neither the companies involved nor the government adequately appreciated were pr

host: secretary ken salazar, what job do you think he is not doing as secretary, and more specifically, mms, which has gone through a transformation since the spill? >> obviously, they have done an awful jjb, mmss of course, it was their job to prevent this, and i think that was the federal government's role. i do know -- it is going to have to be b.p. if there is something we're disappointed in, there is the response of b.p., and the coast it seems to be so strrnge. it just seems to be lacking. for instance, for the oil approaching, we would like them to be doing something before it gets to the edges, and they keep telling us that there are skimmer's out here, but there are not that many. i do not know if small skimmer's make an impact anyway. we want to see b.p. acting like this is their own backyard, and we are not sure we are seeing that. host: and yeah, b.p. has a new advertising campaign, saying that they are going to get this right, essentially. do you believe b.p.? >> i think the problem is, if you go back to the stores ast week, looking at their plans for this, it was basicall

the team of engineers tapped by secretary ken salazar to examine what went wrong on the rig recently wrote, "we believe the blowout was caused by a highly improbable chain of human errors coupled with several equipment failures and was preventable. the petroleum industry will learn from this. it can and will do better. we should not be satisfied --" just wait for a second. "we should not be satisfied until there are no deaths and environmental impacts offshore ever. however, we must understand that as with any human endeavor, there will always be risks." let's learn from this awful mistake, fix the problem, clean up the gulf, and move forward to fixing our ailing economy and creating private-sector jobs. i yield back my time. >> the chair recognizes the chairman of the full committee, the gentleman from california, mr. henry waxman. >> thank you for joint -- for holding this hearing and for your tenacious work. your efforts have kept congress and the american people informed about the environmental disaster unfolding in the gulf of mexico. yesterday, chairman steve back and i release