Inhofe says he'll block emission-limit legislation
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OKLAHOMA CITY (The Associated Press) - Oct 27
U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe, who has called global warming a hoax, has said he will block a bipartisan Senate bill that would limit greenhouse gas emissions.
Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican, is Congress' most vocal skeptic of the idea that human activity is responsible for global warming. On Friday, during a two-hour speech on the Senate floor, he said the media, environmental groups and "Hollywood" liberals, among others, have exaggerated the causes and effects of global warming.
The Oklahoman reported on Inhofe's speech from its Washington bureau.
Inhofe maintains that a growing number of scientists are agreeing with him and have questioned computer models used to predict future temperatures and water levels.
"Science is overwhelmingly taking away the basis for alarm," he said.
Inhofe said during his speech that energy prices would rise and the economy would slow if any limits on greenhouse gas emissions were set. He also endorsed a joint effort by six nations, including the U.S., to more quickly develop technologies that would result in cleaner energy. That effort is known as the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate.
"This approach serves multiple purposes," he said. "It will reduce air pollution, expand our energy supply, increase trade, and along with these other goals, reduce greenhouse gases as a byproduct."
Inhofe was the chairman of the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee before the GOP lost control of the Senate following last year's elections.
He remains the top Republican on the committee, which has started work on the bill - sponsored by Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and Sen. John Warner, R-Va. - that would mandate limits on greenhouse gas emissions.
The committee's new chairman, Democrat Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, strongly supports the bill and is expected to ensure it receives a vote by the full Senate. A spokesman for Boxer said she plans to speak about global warming on the Senate floor Monday.
During the speech, the spokesman said Boxer would discuss "Senator Inhofe's unsupported statements
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