EPW Blog

Inhofe: EPA Apologized for “Crucify” Words Not Actions

Link to Video: Inhofe Responds to EPA Apology for Using the Word "Crucify" on Fox and Friends Link to Washington Times Editorial: Obama crucifies business Link to Daily Caller Article: Inhofe on EPA official's apology for ‘crucify' comments: ‘Meaningless,' ‘Get real' Link to Press Release Washington, D.C. - Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, today responded to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region VI Administrator Al Armendariz's apology for his comments revealed in a 2010 video where he admits that EPA's "general philosophy" is to "crucify" and "make examples" out of oil and gas companies. Senator Inhofe said today that Administrator Armendariz apologized for his words, but not for EPA's actions.

Inhofe Announces Investigation into EPA’s “Crucify Them” Strategy on American Energy Producers

Link to Inhofe Floor Speech Link to Letter from Inhofe to EPA Administrator Jackson Washington, D.C. - Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, delivered a speech today on the Senate floor announcing that he has launched an investigation into the Obama-EPA's apparent "crucify them" strategy targeted at American energy producers. This investigation will look into EPA's actions towards domestic energy production specifically in light of the agency's recent efforts relating to hydraulic fracturing.

FWS Director Commits to Give Oklahoma Flexibility in Lesser Prairie Chicken Listing Decision

WATCH Inhofe-Ashe Exchange Link to Opening Statement Link to Inhofe NAWCA Bill Washington, D.C. - Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, was pleased to welcome Fish and Wildlife (FWS) Director Dan Ashe today as he testified before the Environment and Public Works Committee. Senator Inhofe thanked Director Ashe for his assurance today that the FWS will give Oklahomans as much flexibilty as possible when it comes to the listing decision for the Lesser Prairie-Chicken, and for his strong support of S. 2282, the North American Wetlands Conservation Extension Act (NAWCA), which Senator Inhofe is sponsoring along with Senators Boxer and Vitter. Director Ashe thanked Senator Inhofe for his leadership on this bill, saying "NAWCA has become an absolute foundation of our ability to conserve water fowl resources in the United States and it provides a bridge between Canada and the United States and Mexico, coordinates response amongst all the agencies within the three governments."

Action on an ‘all-of-the-above’ strategy

Link to Op Ed Link to Inhofe EPW Press Blog If there is any question as to what Americans want in an energy policy, we need look no further than President Obama's sudden shift in rhetoric as the election approaches. Who would have thought that the president who declared war on oil, gas and coal in this country would today be insisting that he's for an all-of-the-above approach? The reason is obvious: Americans clearly want to take advantage of the tremendous resources that this country possesses. While he's looking for votes, President Obama is talking the talk, but his record shows that he will never walk the walk. He's not fooling anyone - even The Washington Post has called him out for being less than honest about his energy agenda.

Obama Admin Report Reveals that the U.S.Has 26% of World’s Recoverable Conventional Oil Resources

Link to Press Release Washington, D.C. - Senator James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today commented on a newly released government assessment from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which illustrates the truth about America's vast energy reserves. Despite the President's intentionally misleading claim that the United States only has two percent of the world's oil reserves, this assessment confirms that America's technically recoverable conventional oil resources are 26 percent of the world's supply, and this doesn't begin to include our enormous oil shale, tight oil and heavy oil resources. Moreover, it shows that the United States holds 30 percent of the world's technically recoverable conventional natural gas resources, without including our massive supply of shale gas.

Inhofe Praises Passage of House Highway Bill

Link to Press Release Washington, D.C. - Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, praised the approval in the House of a short-term highway bill extension and said that its passage allows for the House and Senate to proceed to conference on a long-term highway bill. The bill, H.R. 4348, passed by a vote of 293-127.

With New Air Rules Obama-EPA Moves Forward with War on Natural Gas

Link to Press Release Washington, D.C. - This afternoon, the Obama-EPA issued its first federal air rules for natural gas wells that are hydraulically fractured. Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, said that contrary to President Obama's reelection rhetoric, these new regulations are the latest in his administration's war on natural gas production.

Inhofe Congratulates President Obama on Big Green Endorsements

Link to Press Release Washington, D.C. - Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, congratulated President Obama today on his endorsements from the Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters, Clean Water Action, and Environment America, which were announced this morning.

Bipartisan Group of Governors Challenge Most Expensive EPA Rule in History

Link to Press Release Washington, D.C. - At today's Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works subcommittee hearing, "Review of Mercury Pollution's Impacts to Public Health and Environment," Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Committee, was pleased to announce that a bipartisan group of twenty four state attorneys general, including a quarter of all Democrat state attorneys general, filed petitions challenging the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Utility MACT rule. Senator Inhofe has filed a CRA to stop EPA from going through with this rule.

“Review of Mercury Pollution’s Impacts to Public Health and the Environment

Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety hearing entitled "Review of Mercury Pollution's Impacts to Public Health and the Environment." Tuesday, April 17, 2012, 10:00 AM Link to Opening Statement I want to thank our witnesses for joining us for today's hearing. Additionally, Chairman Carper, thank you for holding this second hearing focused on the Utility MACT, or MATS, rule. Utility MACT is the most costly rule in the history of the EPA - one that typifies President Obama's war on affordable energy. It is fitting we would focus additional oversight efforts on this rule. I only wish we had done so before the rule went final and the negative impacts started to be felt.

Inhofe Letter Targets EPA Air Rule on Hydraulic Fracturing

Link to Letter Link to Press Release Washington, D.C. - The Obama Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to announce at any moment that it has released its finalized New Source Performance Standards (NSPSs) and National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs) for Oil and Gas Production and Natural Gas Transmission. In anticipation of this announcement, Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, sent a letter today to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson expressing serious concern that the intention of this rule is to attack hydraulic fracturing, as the agency is moving forward on the foundation of faulty and inaccurate data, without regard for the economic impacts. Some studies estimate that this new rule could result in 47,000 direct job losses as unconventional gas well drilling would decline considerably.

Obama Administration’s War on Natural Gas Continues To Expand

Link to Press Release Washington, D.C. - Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, blasted President Obama's executive order, "Supporting Safe and Responsible Development of Unconventional Domestic Natural Gas Resources," released today that will coordinate the activities of thirteen or more different federal agencies on natural gas development.

EPA’s Water Guidance Overreach Cometh…

Link to Inhofe EPW Press Blog Link to the Barrasso/Inhofe Preserve the Waters of the US Act Given the Obama administration's track record of announcing agency actions on days when they hope no one will notice, we are preparing for the possibility that as early as this Friday, EPA will announce that it has finalized its Clean Water Act (CWA) jurisdictional guidance - a document put forth by the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers that would set the stage for the federal government to increase vastly its authority over virtually every square inch of land where water falls in the United States, no matter how small or insignificant the water features might be. This so called "guidance" will fundamentally change peoples' rights and responsibilities under the Clean Water Act, and not for the better.

Inhofe Applauds Gov. Fallin for Remarks on Energy

Washington, D.C. – Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), praised Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin for her Weekly Republican Address in which she said that the energy crisis America faces is not for a lack of energy resources, but rather due to a lack of leadership from President Obama. Video of the address is available here.

Inhofe Calls for Senate EPW Hearing on GSA Extravagance

Link to Press Release Washington, D.C. - Yesterday, the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) released a report investigating a lavish GSA conference for the Services Administration Public Buildings Service 2010 Western Regions, which cost the American taxpayer $823,000, and led to the resignation of GSA Administrator Martha Johnson. In the wake of this report yesterday, Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, the committee of jurisdiction over the GSA, called on Senator Boxer, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, to hold a hearing to get to the bottom of how this happened and how it can be prevented in the future. He has not yet received an answer from Senator Boxer.

Inhofe Blasts Obama’s Latest Falsehoods: Cap And Trade Edition

"Before President Obama goes around accusing Republicans of hypocrisy and disregarding environmental protection, he would be wise to remember that overwhelming bipartisan opposition has kept any global warming cap-and-trade legislation from reaching the Senate floor since June 2008, and it was soundly rejected by both Democrats and Republicans."

Link to Press Release Washington, D.C. - Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, blasted President Obama's remarks today at an AP luncheon in Washington, where he accused Republicans of environmental hypocrisy. The President said, "Cap and trade was originally proposed by conservatives and Republicans as a market-based solution to solving environmental problems. Now, you've got the other party essentially saying ‘we shouldn't even be thinking about environmental protection; Let's gut the EPA.'"

Inhofe Welcomes NRC Approval for Two Nuclear Reactors that will Create up to 3,800 Jobs

Link to Inhofe National Journal Blog Post: Nuclear Renaissance in Obama's Hands 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) approved license applications for South Carolina Electric & Gas to build two new reactors at the Virgil C. Summer nuclear generating station in Jenkinsville, South Carolina. These new reactors will create 3,000 construction jobs as well as 600 to 800 permanent jobs. This approval represents the Commission's second pair of new nuclear reactor approvals in two months. The license approval process took four years to complete and the four NRC commissioners voted in favor of the project, while NRC Chairman Jaczko voted against it. Prior to the Vogtle decision last month, no new nuclear reactors had been approved in the United States since 1978.

Inhofe and Boxer Introduce Bipartisan North American Wetland Conservation Act Reauthorization

Link to Press Release Washington, D.C. - Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, introduced the North American Wetland Conservation Act (NAWCA) reauthorization last night along with Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and five other co-sponsors: Senators David Vitter (R-LA), Thad Cochran (R-MS), Tim Johnson (D-SD), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mary Landrieu (D-LA).

Senate Defeats Obama Oil and Gas Tax Hike Again

Link to Inhofe Floor Speech: Stopping the Obama War on Affordable Energy 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 defeat of S. 2204, legislation sponsored by Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), which would significantly raise taxes on American energy produces and - as many Democrats have admitted - will do nothing to address the rising price of gas at the pump.

Congressional Republicans Continue to Put Pressure on Obama Admin. To Halt Water Guidance Overreach

Link to Press Release: Inhofe Leads Effort to Oppose EPA and Army Corps' Guidance Document Link to Press Release: EPA's Clean Water Act Jurisdiction Spurs Bicameral Concern Link to House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Release: Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers Calls for Administration to Halt "Guidance" to Dramatically Expand Clean Water Act Jurisdiction Washington, D.C. - Today, Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, joined Senators Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and Pat Roberts (R-KS), as well as Chairman John Mica (R-FL), Chairman Frank Lucas (OK), and Representative Bob Gibbs (OH) to send a letter to Cass Sunstein Administrator of Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget asking that the document, "Guidance on Identifying Waters Protected by the Clean Air Act," put forth by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers not be finalized. This guidance document seeks to give the federal government control over virtually every body of water in the United States, no matter how small.