Eli Explains the Monnett Saga

At dinner during AGU week, Eli was explaining his view of the Monnett saga. I thought it important enough to be written up, and Eli has not only obliged, but dedicated it to me:

Michael Tobis last month asked Eli to explain why the Department of the Interior was going after Charles Monnett. The Kulluk is the short answer, more specifically BOEM wanting to approve Shell’s drilling plans for the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. Email leaks from Monnett were used to tie Shell, BOEM and BSEE up in court, delaying the issuance of permits four years from 2008 to late 2012 and indeed, this was the only ground that at the conclusion of their farcical investigation that the DOI Inspector General cited to reprimand Monnett.

I am most pleased by Eli’s prompt attention to the matter.

I don’t have any way of verifying Eli’s version of events, but it is a heck of a lot more plausible than the entertainingly absurd cover story about polar bears. Either way, as Eli points out, it does raise interesting questions about the environmental bona fides of the current administration.