Paul Laurence Bloom was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 lawyer working as a special counsel for the United States Department of Energy

United States Department of Energy

The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...

 during the Carter Administration

Presidency of Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter served as the thirty-ninth President of the United States from 1977 to 1981. His administration sought to make the government "competent and compassionate" but, in the midst of an economic crisis produced by rising energy prices and stagflation, met with difficulty in achieving its...

 who recovered $6 billion in refunds from dozens of oil producers in the United States who had overcharged as much as $11 billion for their products under price controls placed on "old oil" (oil obtained from wells that were drilled before a cutoff date) that had been imposed by Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon

Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...

 in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis

1973 oil crisis

The 1973 oil crisis started in October 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries or the OAPEC proclaimed an oil embargo. This was "in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military" during the Yom Kippur war. It lasted until March 1974. With the...

 as a means to control prices and to encourage oil companies to search for new sources of petroleum that would not fall under the regulations.

Early life and career

Bloom was born on May 14, 1939, in Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....

, and grew up in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

. He attended the University of Chicago

University of Chicago

The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...

 where he received an undergraduate degree and received his legal training at the University of New Mexico School of Law

University of New Mexico School of Law

The University of New Mexico School of Law is the law school of the University of New Mexico, located in Albuquerque. It is the only law school in the state of New Mexico. Approximately 350 students attend the school, with approximately 115 enrolled in the first-year class...

. Following his graduation, he worked for the state of New Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...

 as a natural resources lawyer.

Energy Department

Bloom was appointed in 1977 as special counsel for compliance by Secretary of Energy James Schlesinger, and was given responsibility for investigating violations of oil price controls that had been imposed following the 1973 oil crisis. Under regulations established during the Nixon administration, oil producers were given limits on prices for "old oil", while new discoveries were fostered by being excluded from these rules. With 600 attorneys and accountants performing investigations together with hundreds more from auditing firms, the task force was able to use subpoenas and to place auditors on-site at producing companies to analyze transactions. With this information, Bloom was able to identify excess charges amounting to $11 billion from all but two of the nation's 35 largest oil producers. Despite arguments from the oil companies that they were being charged with violations of arcane interpretations of the rules imposed, Bloom was able to recover $6 billion in refunds.

After receiving a settlement payment of $4 million from Standard Oil of Indiana, Bloom disbursed the funds to four charities, each receiving $1 million to assist poor people with their heating bills. The Reagan administration attempted to reclaim these funds, but by that time the charities had already distributed almost all of the money.

Bloom died at age 70 of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...

 on October 10, 2009, in Chevy Chase, Maryland

Chevy Chase, Maryland

Chevy Chase is the name of both a town and an unincorporated census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland. In addition, a number of villages in the same area of Montgomery County include "Chevy Chase" in their names...

. He was survived by his wife, Marjorie, as well as by two sons and a daughter.