WASHINGTON, February 21, 2012 — The Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) is pleased to announce that Michael R. Bromwich, former director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) for the U.S. Department of Interior, has joined CSIS as nonresident senior adviser. In this role, Mr. Bromwich will advise and participate in projects dealing with energy resources, operational best practices and safety, and issues related to Arctic and offshore energy development.
“Political challenges to traditional oil supplies are increasing around the globe,” said John J. Hamre, CSIS president and CEO. “In order for the United States to continue to move toward energy security, we will have to continue to look to challenging places and new technologies for the answer. But in that same vein, we will have to make certain that ‘best’ practices keep pace to ensure these resources are prudently developed. Michael’s deep experience solving challenging problems will help us think about how to utilize these in a smart and safe way. His expertise at the Department of Interior will help CSIS continue to strengthen its impact on the national debate surrounding nontraditional energy sources.”
Mr. Bromwich comes to CSIS from the U.S. Department of Interior where in 2010, President Barack Obama and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar charged him with the reform of regulation and oversight of offshore drilling in the wake of the Deepwater Horizonaccident and oil spill. Over the course of 17 months, Mr. Bromwich led the development and implementation of a series of far-reaching regulatory and organizational reforms that revamped the nation’s regulation of offshore energy exploration, development, and production. He first served as director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (June 2010 to September 2011), an agency with more than 1,700 employees, and then as director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (October 2011 to November 2011).
From 1999 to 2010, Mr. Bromwich was a litigation partner in the Washington, D.C., and New York offices of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, where he headed the firm’s Internal Investigations, Compliance and Monitoring Group. His practice centered on conducting internal investigations for private companies and other organizations, providing monitoring and oversight services, and representing institutions and individuals in white-collar criminal and regulatory matters. He also provided crisis management assistance and counseling.
In 2002, Mr. Bromwich was selected by the Department of Justice and the District of Columbia to serve as independent monitor for the District of Columbia’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), focusing on use of force, civil rights integrity, internal misconduct, and training issues. He served in that position until 2008, when MPD was determined to have achieved substantial compliance.
From 1994 to 1999, Mr. Bromwich served as inspector general for the Department of Justice. As inspector general, he headed the law enforcement agency principally responsible for conducting criminal and administrative investigations into allegations of corruption and misconduct involving the 120,000 employees of the Department of Justice. He was also responsible for conducting independent audits of the department’s programs and operations.
Before his appointment as inspector general, Mr. Bromwich served as a federal prosecutor. From 1983 to 1987, he was an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. During his tenure, he tried a number of lengthy and complex cases and argued many appellate matters before the Second Circuit.
Mr. Bromwich has authored articles on energy-related issues in Newsweek, CNN International, the Houston Chronicle, and New Orleans Times-Picayune. He has authored articles on law enforcement, criminal justice, and oversight issues in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, and Legal Times.
Mr. Bromwich received his law degree from the Harvard Law School in 1980 and his master’s degree in public policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government the same year. He received his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard College in 1976. Mr. Bromwich is admitted to the District of Columbia Bar and New York Bar.
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