EPW Blog

Local Government Perspectives on Water Infrastructure

Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Water and Wildlife hearing entitled, "Local Government Perspectives on Water Infrastructure." Tuesday, February 28, 2012 10:00 AM Link to Opening Statement I appreciate that that Senator Cardin and Senator Sessions have called another hearing on water infrastructure needs in our country. I have often said that the best way to ensure we are providing safe drinking water and clean water is to improve water infrastructure. I look forward to working with them and other members of the committee this year on this vital issue.

Good News for Oklahoma: TransCanada Decision Means Cushing Pipeline Back on Track

Link to Press Release Washington, D.C. - Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, welcomed the announcement today that TransCanada will reapply for a presidential permit to build the Keystone pipeline once the details of the rerouting process in Nebraska are settled. As part of this announcement, TransCanada offered the good news that it will also pursue the portion of the pipeline that is to run from Cushing, Oklahoma to the Gulf. As the first step will be to secure permits from the Army Corps of Engineers and possible consultations by the Fish and Wildlife Service, Senator Inhofe asked Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer to hold a field hearing in Cushing, Oklahoma to address the permitting process.

Inhofe: High Gas Prices are Exactly What President Obama Wants

Link to Press Release Washington, D.C. - Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, commented on President Obama's address today on rising gas prices at the University of Miami.

Bipartisan, Bicameral Concern about FWS Listing Priority for Lesser Prairie Chicken

Link to Letter Link to Press Release Washington, D.C. - Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, today led a bipartisan, bicameral letter signed by twenty-four Senate and House members - including the entire Oklahoma delegation - to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar asking for clarification regarding the Listing Priority Number (LPN) for the Lesser Prairie Chicken (LPC).

GAO Report Confirms almost $2 Billion in EPA’s Superfund Special Accounts Sitting Idle

Link to GAO Report Link to Press Release Washington, D.C. - A report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), entitled "Superfund: Status of EPA's Efforts to Improve its Management and Oversight of Special Accounts," which was released today confirms that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has almost $2 billion sitting idle in Superfund Special Accounts. This report was requested in May by Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Inhofe Introduces Measure to Stop One of Obama-EPA’s Most Expensive Rules

Link to Press Release Washington, D.C. - Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, today filed a joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) that will prevent the Obama-EPA from going through with its Utility Maximum Achievable Control Technology ("Utility MACT") rule.

Inhofe: Obama Trying to Take Credit for 5,800 Nuclear Jobs While Having Covert Anti-Nuclear Agenda

Link to Press Release Link to Inhofe National Journal Blog Post: Nuclear Renaissance in Obama's Hands Washington, D.C. - Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, said that by sending Energy Secretary Steven Chu to Georgia today to tout the construction of two new nuclear reactors, President Obama is trying to take credit for 5,800 nuclear jobs, even though his Administration has a record of actively opposing nuclear power, and his own Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Chairman, Greg Jaczko, opposed the license for these reactors.

Inhofe Requests Hearing on ‘RINgate’

Link to Today's Letter Link to Letter from EPA Assistant Administrator McCarthy to Inhofe Link to EPA Answers to Inhofe's Questions Link to Letter from Senators Inhofe and Pryor to Administrator Jackson Link to Press Release Washington, D.C. - Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, sent the following letter to Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, to request that the committee hold a hearing to address the fraud associated with the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) Renewable Identification Number (RIN) trading program.

Vitter, Inhofe Continue Investigation Into Allegations of Scientific Misconduct by Obama Admin.

Link to Letter Link to Press Release Washington D.C. - As part of their ongoing investigation into the scientific misconduct within the Obama Administration, Senator David Vitter (R-La.) and Senator James Inhofe, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, sent a letter today to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar asking him to explain why he consistently ignored serious complaints regarding the scientific integrity of the Director of the National Park Service (NPS) Jon Jarvis, and why these allegations were not addressed during Mr. Jarvis' nomination process.

Inhofe Oversight of EPA’s $2.26 Billion in Uncommitted Funds Ongoing

Link to Letter Link to Press Release Washington, D.C. - Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, sent another oversight letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson asking EPA to explain why the agency has $2.26 billion in its Superfund Trust Fund that remains uncommitted. In a May 2011 letter, Senator Inhofe asked Administrator Jackson a series of questions addressing these unobligated funds, but Administrator Jackson's reply left two of the most important questions Senator Inhofe posed unanswered. In today's letter, Senator Inhofe asked Administrator Jackson again to answer these specific two questions that she failed to answer in her previous letter.

New Nuclear Reactors in Georgia To Create 5,800 Jobs

Link to Press Release Washington, D.C. - Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, welcomed the news today that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) concluded its mandatory hearing for Southern Company's license application to build two new reactors at their Vogtle plant in northeastern Georgia. These new reactors will create 5,000 construction jobs as well as 800 permanent jobs.

Inhofe Blasts Evangelical Environmental Network’s Claim that EPA’s Agenda is “Pro-life”

Link to Press Release Link to Cornwall Alliance Press Release: Pro-Life Leaders Call for End to Misleading Environmentalist Campaign Washington, D.C. - Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, blasted the Evangelical Environmental Network's claim that the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Utility Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) rule is somehow "pro-life." Rev. Mitchell Hescox, President and CEO of the Evangelical Environmental Network, testified today on this subject before the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

EPA, IG and EPA confirm need for increased transparency in permitting process

Link to EPA OIG Report Link to Press Release Washington, DC - Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, welcomed a follow-up report released today from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG). This report, “EPA Should Strengthen Records Management on Clean Water Act Section 404 Permit Notification Reviews for Surface Coal Mining,” delved more deeply into findings from the initial November 2011 OIG report requested by Senator Inhofe that confirmed that EPA, through its own actions, systematically slows the pace of permit evaluations in Appalachia. These findings were concerning enough to warrant the Inspector General to instigate this follow-up review.

Nader Out of Inhofe-Markey Global Warming Debate

Link to Today's Letter from Senator Inhofe to Mr. Nader Link to February 1, 2012 Letter from Nader to Inhofe Link to December 16, 2011 Letter from Inhofe to Nader Link to Tulsa World: Nader out of efforts to arrange Inhofe global warming debate Link to Press Release Washington, D.C. - Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, sent the following response today to Ralph Nader after receiving a letter from Nader yesterday in which he announced he will no longer be organizing a debate on global warming between Senator Inhofe and Representative Ed Markey (D-MA).

Congressional Republicans Continue Oversight of EPA’s Flawed Scientific Process

Link to Press Release Washington, D.C. - As part of an ongoing bicameral oversight investigation, Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, joined Senator David Vitter (R-LA.), as well as Representative Paul Broun (R-GA), Chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, and Representative Andy Harris (R-MD), Chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, to send a letter today to Dr. Linda Birnbaum, Director of the National Toxicology Program, and Dr. Paul Anastas, Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Research and Development expressing concern that EPA continues to fail the transparency test and persists in using faulty data apparently to come to preconceived conclusions.

Inhofe Applauds Keystone Bill Introduction

Link to Press Release Washington D.C. - Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, applauded bipartisan legislation that approves the Keystone XL pipeline through Congress under Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, instead of through executive approval. This bill, which will be introduced today, is sponsored by Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), and David Vitter (R-La.), and Senator Inhofe is one of the 44 cosponsors.

Obama-EPA Moving Quietly to Impose Gas Tax

Link to Press Release Washington, D.C. - Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.) Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, commented on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) plan to propose a Tier 3 rule on vehicles in March and finalize it in October. These Tier 3 standards will cause gasoline prices to rise up to 25 cents a gallon.

Op-Ed: No Need to Panic About Global Warming

Wall Street Journal Link to Op-Ed Editor's Note: The following has been signed by the 16 scientists listed at the end of the article: A candidate for public office in any contemporary democracy may have to consider what, if anything, to do about "global warming." Candidates should understand that the oft-repeated claim that nearly all scientists demand that something dramatic be done to stop global warming is not true. In fact, a large and growing number of distinguished scientists and engineers do not agree that drastic actions on global warming are needed.

Obama-EPA Destroying More Jobs in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland

Link to Press Release Washington D.C. - Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, said that FirstEnergy's announcement today that it will shut down six power plants in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Maryland due to EPA's Utility MACT rule is a prime example that while President Obama is talking the talk on an 'all-of-the-above' energy approach, his administration is aggressively working to shut down American oil, gas, and coal development.

Inhofe Comments on State of the Union Address

Link to Press Release Washington, D.C. – Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works commented on President Obama’s State of the Union Address tonight.