From Bloomberg:

The top-ranking U.S. official in charge of ensuring the safety of offshore oil rigs resigned four weeks after the Gulf of Mexico disaster that killed 11 workers, sank a $365 million vessel and triggered leaks that have gushed millions of gallons of crude into the sea.

Chris Oynes, associate director of the offshore energy and minerals management program for the Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service, has left his job, Bill Lee, an agency spokesman, said yesterday in an interview.

Oynes, who was appointed chief of the division that oversees deep-sea oil exploration in 2007, left amid scrutiny of safety inspections and mounting criticism of what President Barack Obama described as the agency’s “cozy relationship” with the energy industry. Oynes served Republican and Democratic administrations during more than three decades in federal jobs.

Wait! Oynes was appointed as chief in 2007? So he was appointed under (dramatic pause) BUSH! Maybe that would explain the way Drudge is pushing this story:

So Republicans have been saying we need better regulatory oversight by MMS, and when one of the top dogs finally resigns, we have the Republican news site questioning if this was just some fall guy.

If this guy resigned because of Obama describing the “cozy relationship” between MMS and the energy industry, well then actions speak louder than words. It’s also a good first step to making sure MMS does their job for the people of this nation, not the oil companies.