Perhaps BP officials lobbied folks in the MMS: “The costs here are killing us; we need to get some kind of relief from some of these rules that don’t mean anything, that are just paperwork red-tape issues, so we can finish this and get out of here. Is there anything at all you can do to help us?”
Let me see here ... oh that’s right you already gave at the Obama campaign donor window, so here is your drilling waivers... now you be safe out there.
Don’t forget to put us on your list next election.