There isn’t a more perfect example of why money should be
removed from our political process than Senator James Inhofe (R-OKL). He’s the epitome of a bought politician.
There are few as zealous against environmental protection as
he. His most recent escapade was championing a bill S.J. Res 37 using an
obscure Congressional Review Act to try to block the EPA’s Mercury and Air
Toxics Standards rule. Lucky for humanity, he lost.
The EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards require steep reductions
of mercury, lead, arsenic, and other toxic pollutant emissions from coal-fired
power plants. It is estimated that the
reduction of these pollutants will save 11,000 lives annually, prevent more
than 100,000 asthma and heart attacks yearly, and it’s estimated to reduce
associated medical cost by $80 billion annually.
Senator Inhofe is also one of the staunchest deniers of
climate change. He held witch hunt hearings against established peer-reviewed
climatologists like Dr. James Hansen at NASA and Dr. Michael Mann, a scientist
on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) trying to discredit
them by misquoting their scientific reports and telling outright lies about
their science.
In his effort to discredit real climatologists, Inhofe pushed
junk non peer-reviewed science and quack scientists like Fred Singer, Richard
Lindzen, and Frederick Sietz whose fake “science” has been publicly summarily and
repeatedly debunked. They also have been exposed for receiving thousands, in
some cases millions, of dollars from the fossil fuel industry either directly or
funneled indirectly through extreme conservative “think tanks” like The
Heartland Institute and the George C. Marshal Institute. Basing his “proof”
that climate change is a hoax on their phony science, Inhofe coined his infamous
phrase, “climate change is the biggest hoax ever perpetrated on the American
people”. He, more than anyone, is responsible for derailing vital climate
change legislation in congress.
If his campaign contributions were overlooked one might
think he were insane. After all, on the Rachel Maddow Show on March 15, 2012
Inhofe said, “I was actually on your side on the issue (global warming) when I
was chairing the committee (Senate Environmental Committee) and I first heard
about this. I thought it must be true until I found out what it would cost (to
fix it).” What?
Perhaps he meant to say, how much it paid to be a denier.
According to Opensecrets, Inhofe accepted $311,800 in oil contributions during
the 110th Congress. He
received $662,506 from oil companies between 2000 and 2008, making him the top
congressional recipient of oil money. He
has received $152,800 in coal industry contributions during the 110th
Congress. Opensecrets listed Inhofe’s
top five campaign contributors from 2005 to 2010 as: Koch Industries - $41,800,
Murray Energy - $31,100, Reed Elsevier Inc. - $29,450, OEG Energy - $21,800,
and Contran Corp - $21,500. Inhofe’s campaign contributions from the fossil
fuel industry since 1998 total $1,189,050. No wonder he’s against environmental
regulations! While he was receiving all of this money he’s been serving on the
Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works; as Chairman from 2003 to 2007
and now as Ranking Minority member. Talk about the fox in the hen house!
After his junk science and his quack scientists were
summarily discredited, he tried a new tactic - religion. In a radio interview
with Vic Eliason on Voice of Christian Youth America, Inhofe said “only God can
change the climate, and the idea that manmade pollution could affect the
seasons is “arrogance”. In his book, The Greatest Hoax: How the Global Warming
Conspiracy Threatens Your Future, Inhofe quotes Genesis 8:22, “as long as the
Earth remains there will be springtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and
summer, day and night “, as his biblical foundation for disbelieving human caused
climate change.
Meanwhile scientists measure 91 million tons of CO2 pumping
into the atmosphere globally every 24 hours. They watched CO2 levels rise 116
parts per million (PPM) in the last 120 years, or so, to today’s 396.18 PPM.
This steep jump in CO2 levels comes after an 800,000 year period of CO2 levels
hovering at a steady natural average of around 280 PPM. That sudden jump is not
natural and we know it comes directly from burning fossil fuels. Scientists
also observe the ten hottest years on record occurring since 1998. To
continuing to burn fossil fuels is total insanity.
Now, if Senator Inhofe were so religiously inspired where is
his love and compassion for the humans that suffer now from pollution and
climate change around the planet? In
fact, considering that his state, Oklahoma, suffered from extreme droughts and
tornadoes in 2011 and ranchers lost over 117,000 head of cattle, and many their
livelihoods, how can he possibly deny climate change and keep a straight face?
Campaign financing PAC and Super PAC money keeps legislators
like him in power. Inhofe doesn’t represent the people of Oklahoma; he’s a pimp
for the fossil fuel industry. His brand
of politician is destroying our democracy and our ability to survive on this
planet.
It’s all about money,
but if we disrupt earth’s life support system, the economy will be a moot
point. It’s time for people to pay
attention and change the system.
