Chris Oynes Explained

Birth Date:28 April 1947
Birth Place:Anaheim, California
Death Place:Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Education:

Chris Craig Oynes (28 April 1947 – 18 October 2017) was an American lawyer and federal government administrator.[1] [2]

Oynes was born in Anaheim, California to Christian and Lorraine Oynes.[1] [2] Oynes received a BA degree in political science from California State University, Fullerton, and he received a JD degree from George Washington University.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Oynes served as U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) associate director for offshore energy and minerals management before he retired in May 2010. During the 1990s, Oynes served as Deputy Regional Director of the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Region, and he was named Regional Director of that office in 1995.[7] Oynes who oversaw oil and gas leasing in the Gulf of Mexico[8] for 13 years[7] before being promoted to MMS associate director. In his duties as Regional Director of the Gulf of Mexico office, Oynes' managed the leasing of the OCS lands for oil, gas, and other marine minerals. This office was also responsible for environmental protection of these leased areas.[8] Oynes supervised a staff of 550 federal employees, including environmental scientists, biologists, geologists, geophysicists, and petroleum engineers.[8] Oynes had come under fire for being too close to the industry officials he regulated.[9] [4]

During his tenure at the Gulf regional office in Louisiana for the MMS, Oynes played a central role in an offshore leasing foul-up[10] [11] [12] [13] that cost taxpayers an estimated $10 billion in lost revenue.[11] The Interior Department's inspector general called the matter "a jaw-dropping example of bureaucratic bungling."[14] [15] [16] [17] [18] Despite that, the agency's then-director, Johnnie Burton, promoted Oynes in 2007 to associate director for the offshore program.[7] [15] [19] [4] [20] [14] [21] [10]

On May 24, 2010 The New York Times reported that under his watch in the Gulf, MMS regulators allowed industry officials to fill in their own inspection reports in pencil and then turned them over to the regulators, who traced over them in pen before submitting the reports to the agency. MMS staff also routinely accepted meals, tickets to sporting events and other gifts from oil companies.[22] [23] [24] In 2008, a report from the Interior Department's Inpector-General found that MMS employees had received improper gifts from energy industry representatives.[5] [24] [25] [26] Another Inspector General report from 2010 found additional ethical lapses involving MMS employees and employees from oil and gas companies.[27] [28]

Lee Tilton, the former Chief, Office of Congressional Affairs (OCA), for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management,[29] [30] was a former protégé of Chris Oynes.[31]

In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Oynes announced that he would retire at the end of May 2010.[32] [25] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] According to the Minerals Management website, Oynes had "...more than 30 years of Federal Government experience..."[3] [35] [9] [5] [7] [2]

Oynes died on 18 October 2017 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.[1] [2]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Baton Rouge, LA . The Advocate . 19 October 2017 . Chris Craig Oynes (1947-2017) . 13 June 2018.
  2. Web site: Chris Craig Oynes, 1947-2017 . The Times Picayune . 19 October 2017 . New Orleans, LA . 22 July 2020.
  3. Web site: Chris Oynes, Associate Director, Offshore Energy and Minerals Management . Minerals Management Service . 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100525000134/http://www.mms.gov/offshore/AD.htm . dead . 25 May 2010 . 19 June 2018.
  4. Web site: Chris Oynes Named Associate Director of MMS Offshore Program . Offshore Magazine . 5 February 2007 . 19 June 2018 . PennWell Corp. . Tulsa, OK.
  5. Web site: Federal Official Overseeing Offshore Oil Development to Retire Early . 17 May 2010 . CNN . 19 June 2018.
  6. Web site: Eastern GOM: Boom or Bust? Joint Industry Association Luncheon . American Petroleum Institute, Delta Chapter . October 2000 . New Orleans, LA . 19 June 2018 . The APInion.
  7. Chris Oynes Named Associate Director of the MMS Offshore Program . Minerals Management Service . February 5, 2007 . December 14, 2023.
  8. Web site: Dr. Chris Oynes . 2023 . December 14, 2023.
  9. News: Eilperin . Juliet . Independent Probe of BP Oil Spill in Works . Washington Post . Washington, DC . 18 May 2010 . 19 June 2018.
  10. Web site: Institute for Environmental Diplomacy and Security, James M. Jeffords Center, University of Vermont . Burlington, VT . Case Study: Minerals Management Service . Mulligan, James S. . September 2011 . 22 July 2020.
  11. Web site: Natural Gas Intelligence . 31 July 2006 . MMS Official: Missing Lease Price Thresholds a 'Serious Mistake' . 22 July 2020 . Sterling, VA.
  12. Web site: Ivanovich . David . Government oil lease blunder hidden 6 years: Investigator says mistake cost taxpayers billions of dollars . Houston Chronicle . Houston, TX . 14 September 2006 . 22 July 2020.
  13. Heersink . Emily . Public Contract Law Journal . 37 . 2 . 2008 . 319 . Royalty Robbery: How Statutory Supremacy and the "Christian" Doctrine Require Oil Companies to Pay Royalties on Leases Missing the Deep Water Royalty Relief Price Threshold Clause . American Bar Association . Chicago, IL. 25755455 .
  14. Dickinson . Tim . Rolling Stone . Rolling Stone . 8 June 2010 . The Spill, The Scandal and the President . 22 July 2020 . New York, NY.
  15. Web site: Minerals Service Had a Mandate to Produce Results . DeParle . Jason . 7 August 2010 . The New York Times . New York, NY . 19 June 2018.
  16. Web site: Sun Journal . 19 January 2007 . U.S. official faults 'bureaucratic bungling' for oil-royalty losses . 22 July 2020 . Newhouse News Service . Lewiston, ME.
  17. Web site: Strickler . Laura . 18 January 2007 . 22 July 2020 . More on oil lease royalties: It's the cover up, not the $10 billion dollar mistake . New York, NY . CBS News.
  18. Web site: Rieland . Randy . 10 ways MMS makes FEMA look good . 19 May 2010 . 22 July 2020 . Seattle, WA . Grist.
  19. http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2010/05/federal_oversight_of_oil_indus.html Federal oversight of oil industry is broken: An editorial (The Times-Picayune, May 16, 2010)
  20. Book: The Big Heat: Earth on the Brink . AK Press . Edinburgh . St. Clair . Jeffrey . Frank . Joshua . 2018 . 9781849353373 . 22 July 2020.
  21. Web site: Cousins . Farron . What Was Missing From the Oil Spill Commission's Report . DeSmog . 14 January 2011 . 22 July 2020 . Washington, DC.
  22. Web site: Faciane, Valerie . Former Minerals Management supervisor to be sentenced today for failing to report hunting trip . The Times-Picayune . 3 February 2009 . 17 November 2022 .
  23. Web site: Associated Press . Former Interior Dept. official gets probation . 3 February 2009 . The Denver Post . 17 November 2022.
  24. Web site: Urbina . Ian . Inspector General's Inquiry Faults Regulators . 24 May 2010 . The New York Times . New York, NY . 19 June 2018.
  25. Web site: Smith, Morgan . Accidents Happen Sometimes . The Texas Tribune . May 28, 2010 . November 17, 2022 .
  26. Web site: Report cites gifts to drilling overseers: It finds lunches, tickets for staff . Daly, Matthew . 26 May 2010 . 17 November 2022 . Arkansas Democrat-Gazette .
  27. Web site: U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Inspector General . 2010 . Investigative Report: Island Operating Company et al. Report Date: March 31, 2010. Date Posted to Web: May 25, 2010 . Washington, DC . U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Inspector General . https://web.archive.org/web/20110322085046/http://www.eenews.net/public/25/15844/features/documents/2010/05/25/document_gw_02.pdf . 17 November 2022. 2011-03-22 .
  28. Web site: Straub, Noelle . Interior Probe Finds Fraternizing, Porn and Drugs at MMS Office in La. . 25 May 2010 . 17 November 2022 . New York Times .
  29. Web site: BOEM . BOEM . 2017 . Lee Tilton . https://web.archive.org/web/20170804025416/https://www.boem.gov/Lee-Tilton/ . November 16, 2022. 2017-08-04 .
  30. Book: Crane-Hirsch, Audrey Celeste . Congressional Liaison Offices of Selected Federal Agencies . Washington, DC . Congressional Research Service . 16 . November 17, 2022.
  31. Web site: Chris Craig Oynes, 1947-2017 [Lee Tilton comment] ]. The Times-Picayune . 19 October 2017 . 21 November 2022.
  32. Web site: Oil inspectors took company gifts, watchdog group finds . 25 May 2010 . 17 November 2022 . CNN.
  33. Web site: Oil and Water . Burka . Paul . Texas Monthly . July 2010 . Austin, TX . 19 June 2018.
  34. Web site: MMS drilling official retires in oil spill fallout . Sullivan . Eilleen . Daly . Matthew . The San Diego Union-Tribune . San Diego, CA . 17 May 2010 . 19 June 2018.
  35. Web site: Chris Oynes, MMS Official, To Step Down In Wake Of Gulf Oil Spill . Huffington Post . 17 May 2010 . 19 June 2018.
  36. Web site: BBC . Coast Guard Warn of Oil Spill Reaching Florida Coast . 17 May 2010 . 19 June 2018.
  37. Web site: Minerals Management Service Acted More like Agent than Regulator . Center for Effective Government . Center for Effective Government . 18 May 2010 . 22 July 2020 . Washington, DC .

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