Drilling in Gulf of Mexico allowed without requisite permits

Ian Urbina, of The New York Times, reports that the "federal Minerals Management Service gave permission to BP and dozens of other oil companies to drill in the Gulf of Mexico without first getting required permits from another agency that assesses threats to endangered species — and despite strong warnings from that agency about the impact the drilling was likely to have on the gulf. "  The Deepwater Horizon well was one that was given approval without the requisite permits.  Current and former staff scientists of the Minerals Management Service stated that warnings they raised regarding safety and environmental risks were often overruled.  They also received pressure to "change the findings of their internal studies if they predicted that an accident was likely to occur or if wildlife might be harmed."