The New York Times details the close and seemingly collusive relationship that the Interior Department has with oil companies. It tells us of a report that stops short of calling officials corrupt but points to major ethical lapses that might be costing US taxpayers billions of dollars in missed payments from the oil companies.

The companies are underpaying and, according to the report, the Minerals Management Service, the agency within the Interior Department, is letting them get away with it while making trouble for whistleblowers.

Also, the new report provides details about the Interior Department paying more than $100 million to the consultants at Accenture for a flawed information management system.

What that suggests is that the Department is dysfunctional and needs urgent attention.