Thursday, November 6th, 2014

Sen. Inhofe, denier of human role in climate change, likely to lead environment committee

Author: Tom Hamburger
Source: The Washington Post
Publication Date: November 5 at 1:32 PM
Link: Sen. Inhofe, denier of human role in climate change, likely to lead environment committee

Stephan: In what I think will prove to be one of the great political ironies of American history, the people of Oklahoma by better than a two-thirds outcome will be responsible for the failure of the United States to protect itself from the ravages of climate change -- which will have a grievous impact on Oklahoma. They elected James Inhofe as their senator yesterday and, as a result of the GOP takeover of the Senate, he will become the chairman of the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee that oversees much of American science. Inhofe who is a carbon energy corporate vassal is an implacable enemy of the science of climate change, thinks the entire thing is a hoax.

Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.) gestures during his victory speech at the Republican watch party Tuesday in Oklahoma City.
Credit: Sue Ogrocki/AP

Sen. James M. Inhofe, an the Oklahoma Republican who once compared the Environmental Protection Agency to the Gestapo, is likely to lead the Environment and Public Works Committee when the GOP takes control of the Senate next year.

If approved, Inhofe would replace Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), an avowed environmentalist, producing one of the most stark post-election changes in the Capitol. Committee assignments will not be made until Senate party caucuses meet in Washington after the election recess.

Inhofe, who has served in the Senate for two decades, is an iconic figure to both environmental and energy lobbyists. He chaired the committee from 2003 to 2008, when Republicans controlled the Senate. Inhofe, a former congressman and mayor of Tulsa, came to Washington to do battle with federal bureaucrats, particularly those […]

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