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

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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.

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