Obama Fires Head of Minerals Management Service

Elizabeth Birnbaum's head rolls thanks to BP oil spill

By Newser Editors and Wire Services

Posted May 27, 2010 10:02 AM CDT

Copied

Obama Fires Head of Minerals Management Service — In this May 18, 2010 file photo, Elizabeth Birnbaum, director of the Minerals Management Service is seen on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

Democratic sources say the Obama administration has fired the head of the US Minerals Management Service in response to blistering criticism over lax oversight of offshore drilling. President Obama will announce the firing later today, the sources say. Elizabeth "Liz" Birnbaum had run the service in the Interior Department since July 2009.

Read These Next

Iran's new leader issued a defiant first statement.
Country star cancels rest of his tour: 'I am mentally unwell.'
One critical island in Iran has remained unscathed in airstrikes.
FBI alert alleges Iran might have its eye on a US state.

Get breaking news in your inbox.

What you need to know, as soon as we know it.

Report an error