​James M. Inhofe

Credentials

• BA, Economics, University of Tulsa, 1973. [1]

Background 

Senator Inhofe is the senior Senator from Oklahoma and a member of the Republican Party. He is former chairman (2003 to 2007) and currently a ranking minority member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. [16]

According to Oilchange International, Inhofe has received $1,189,050 in political contributions from the coal and oil industry. One of his top contributors is Koch Industries ($62,750 since 1999). ExxonMobil has contributed over $16,000 since 1999. 

In 2003, the Natural Resources Defense Council noted that Inhofe "scored zero with the League of Conservation Voters since 1997, was the only senator to oppose Everglades restoration, and once compared the Environmental Protection Agency to the Gestapo." [2]

Inhofe has made regular speeches opposing global warming, and has voted in favor of big oil companies on many oil-related bills.  

Stance on Climate Change 

"I have offered compelling evidence that catastrophic global warming is a hoax. That conclusion is supported by the painstaking work of the nation's top climate scientists." [3]

The scientists that Inhofe mentioned include: Fred Singer, Richard Lindzen, David Wojick, Roy Spencer, John Christy, Paul Reiter, David Legates, Willie Soon, Sallie Baliunas, Frederick Sietz, as well as the signatories of both the Heidelberg Appeal and the Oregon Petition.  

Inhofe has been described as "the first person to stand up and say this global warming is the greatest hoax that has been perpetrated." [4]

Key Quotes 

"The Kyoto Protocol has no environmental benefits; natural variability, not fossil fuel emissions, is the overwhelming factor influencing climate change; satellite data, confirmed by NOAA balloon measurements, confirms that no meaningful warming has occurred over the last century; and climate models predicting dramatic temperature increases over the next 100 years are flawed and highly imperfect." [5]

"Thus far no one has seriously demonstrated any scientific proof that increased global temperatures would lead to the catastrophes predicted by alarmists. In fact, it appears that just the opposite is true: that increases in global temperatures may have a beneficial effect on how we live our lives." [5]

On the subject of environmental groups: "To me it seems that it is more important to the leadership of these groups to turn their once laudable movement into a political machine by sending out their partisan snake-oil salesmen and misleading the American public regarding their purely politically partisan agenda under the guise of environmental protection. [6]

"With all of the hysteria, all of the fear, all of the phony science, could it be that man-made global warming is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people? It sure sounds like it." [6]

". . . for the alarmists, global warming has nothing to do with science or scientific inquiry. Science is not about the inquiry to discover truth, but a mask to achieve an ideological agenda. For some, this issue has become a secular religion, pure and simple." [7]

"Genesis 8:22 that I use [in The Greatest Hoax] is that as long as the Earth remains there will be springtime, harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, day and night. My point is, God's still up there, and the arrogance of people who think that we, human beings, would be able to change what he is doing in the climate is to me outrageous." [15]

Key Deeds 

March 3, 2011

Introduced the Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011, a bill designed to limit the authority of the EPA over industry's greenhouse gas emissions. 

Dec, 2009

Inhofe appeared at the International Climate Conference on Copenhagen to spread the message that "Global warming is a hoax, and there’s no way the Senate is going to pass a cap-and-trade bill." [14]

Dec 20, 2007

Inhofe released a report claiming that over 400 scientists disputed man-made global warming.

Senator Inhofe's list has since been debunked, and shown to include many individuals with no experience in climate science. 

July 28, 2003

Made a floor speech titled "The Science of Climate Change." [5]

Inhofe was later criticized for misrepresenting the views of climatologist Stephen Schneider and meteorologist Tom Wigley in his speech.  

Inhofe had claimed that calculations published by Schneider in the journal Nature "cast serious doubt" on the IPCC's upper-end projection of 5.8 degrees (Celsius) of warming by 2100.

Schneider wrote, "It is misrepresenting my views to characterize them as even implying that IPCC has exaggerated or failed to describe the state of the science fairly." McCain quoted this line to Inhofe on the Senate floor on October 29, 2003. Yet in response to the Prospect, Inhofe's staff made no mention of Schneider's thorough critique. [12]

October 4, 2004

Inhofe made a floor Speech, titled "Partisan Environmental Groups" where he accused environmental groups of having "more interest in hyping apocalyptic environmental scenarios to raise money for raw political purposes rather than working together to improve our environment for the benefit of all Americans." [6]

January 4, 2005 

Made a floor speech titled "Climate Change Update." He critiqued the Mann hockey strick graph, saying how it had "severely underestimated past climate variability. . . . In other words, in obliterating the Medieval Warming Period and the Little Ice Age, Mann's hockey stick just doesn't pass muster." [8]

Inhofe also notes how "Oregon State University climatologist George Taylor has shown, Arctic temperatures are actually slightly cooler today than they were in the 1930s."

April 8, 2005 

Made a floor speech, titled  "First 'Four Pillars'." Inhofe describes the four pillars as: [7]

"1) the 2001 National Academy of Sciences NAS report summarizing the latest science of climate change, requested by the Bush Administration;

2) the scientific work of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, most especially its Third Assessment Report, released in 2001;

3) the recent report of the international Arctic Climate Impact Assessment;

and 4) the data produced by climate models." 

Inhofe claims that he will prove that "none of these pillars support the consensus view."

December, 2009 

"Jim Inhofe vowed to crash the UN Climate Change Conference with a three man “truth squad” consisting of himself and two fellow climate-denying Senators.

He was unsuccessful in securing a single meeting with conference delegates. [9]

April 28, 2004

Inhofe was honored for his "work in promoting science-based public policy" by the Annapolis Center for Science-Based Public Policy, a think-tank that disputes man-made global warming. [10]

The Annapolis center has received $1,048,500 from ExxonMobil since 1998.

September 28, 2005

Inhofe introduced a Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works hearing titled "The Role of Science in Environmental Policy-Making."

In his opening statement, Inhofe states that "Too often the environmental policy decisions made by EPA and other science-based agencies are driven by political or personal agendas." [11]

2000

Inhofe was a co-plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by the Competitive Enterprise Institute in 2000, trying to bar the distribution or use of the National Assessment, which analyzed potential impacts of climate change on the U.S. The Bush administration settled the lawsuit with a statement saying that the report didn't represent official government policy. [12]

Affiliations 

• Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works — Former Chairman and Ranking Member

• Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) — Co-plaintiff with CEI.

• Annapolis Center — 2004 Center Honoree.

• Center for Security Policy — Member, National Security Advisory Council.

• Tech Central Station

• Washington Legal Foundation (WLF) — Represented Inhofe in urging the court to reject an appeal claiming that global warming is a "public nuisance."

Funding

According to OpenSecrets, James M. Inhofe accepted $311,800 in oil contributions during the 110th congress. $160,800 of those dollars were from industry PACS. In total, Inhofe received $662,506 from oil companies between 2000 and 2008, which makes him a top recipient of oil money. In addition to oil, Inhofe has received $152,800 in coal contributions during the 110th Congress. $94,500 of those dollars were from industry PACS. See above for oil and energy voting record.

Opensecrets listed Ihofe's top five campaign contributors from 2005 to 2010 as: [13]

1. Koch Industries: $41,800. 

2. Murray Energy: $31,100. 

3. Reed Elsevier Inc: $29,450.

4. OGE Energy: $21,800.

5. Contran Corp: $21,500. 

Publications 

ClimateRealists has followed Inhofe's, and The Environment and Public Works Press Blog tracks Inhofe's actions and publications. 

Related DeSmog Posts

• "Who Needs Scientists When You've Got James Inhofe?" Chris Mooney. 9 February 11. 
• "Gore and Inhofe, United at Last." Jeremy Jacquot. 3 May 09. 
• "Another 'Inhofian' moment for the head-in-sand Senator." Kevin Grandia. 22 January 09.
• "James Inhofe: The Senator for Oil and Gas." Jim Hoggan. 22 March 07.
• "Current GOP Is 'Party of Science Deniers,' Waxman Says." Brendan Demelle.  8 March 11.
• "US War Veterans Denounce Senator Inhofe's Indifference." Kevin Grandia. 30 November 09. 
• "US taxpayers on the hook for Senator Inhofe's conspiracy theories." Keven Grandia. 4 February 09. 
• "Inhofe Wants to Prosecute 'Criminal' Scientists." Ross Gelbspan. 2 March 10. 
• "WaPo to Inhofe: 'It must be very lonely being the last flat-earther'." Kevin Grandia. 28 October 09. 
• "Inhofe's Bizarre Cameo at Copenhagen." Mitchell Anderson. 21 December 09. 
• "Inhofe Questioned About Manipulating Climate Polling Data." Brendan Demelle. 24 December 09. 
• "Inhofe's Take on EPA C02 Ruling Typical Denialism." Jeanne Roberts. 21 April 09. 
• "Lou Dobbs thinks Jim Inhofe deserved a round of applause." Kevin Grandia. 24 February 10. 
• "U.S. Climate Envoy Slams Inhofe's Attempts To Influence Copenhagen."  Brendan Demelle. 6 November 09. 

Resources

1. "James Inhofe - Summary," Project VoteSmart. Accessed January, 2012.

2. "Top Dogs: James Inhofe," OneEarth, Spring 2003.

3. "Catastrophic global warming alarmism not based on objective science." Press release of Senator Inhofe. July 28, 2003.

4. "Colorado Climate Scientists Tell Ken Buck: Global Warming Is Not A ‘Hoax’." Thinkprogress. Oct 24, 2010.

5. "The Science of Climate Change Senate Floor Statement by U.S. Sen. James M. Inhofe(R-Okla) Chairman, Committee on Environment and Public Works," inhofe.senate.gov, July 28, 2003.

6. "Partisan Environmental Groups Senate Floor Statement by U.S. Sen. James M. Inhofe(R-Okla)," inhofe.senate.gov, October 4, 2004.

7. "First 'Four Pillars' Senate Floor Statement by U.S. Sen. James M. Inhofe(R-Okla)," inhofe.senate.gov, April 8, 2005.

8. "Climate Change Update Senate Floor Statement by U.S. Sen. James M. Inhofe(R-Okla)," inhofe.senate.gov, January 4, 2005.

9. "The Politics of Climate Science." O'Dwyer's. February, 2010.

10. "Sen. James M. Inhofe to be Honored by the Annapolis Center for Science-Based Public Policy," (News Advisory), U.S. Newswire, April 2, 2004.

11. "Statement of Senator James M. Inhofe: The Role of Science in Environmental Policy-Making," U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works Hearing Statements,  September 28, 2005.

12. "Earth Last," The American Prospect, April 13, 2004. Archived May 6, 2008.

13. "James M. Inhofe," OpenSecrets.org profile. Accessed January, 2012.

14. Louise Roug. "Jim Inhofe gets cool reception in Denmark," Politico, December 19, 2009.

15. "Inhofe: God Says Global Warming Is A Hoax," ThinkProgress, March 9, 2012.

16. "Members," U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works. Accessed May 12, 2013. 

17. "James M. Inhofe," SourceWatch Profile.

18. "Jim Inhofe," Wikipedia entry.

19. ExxonSecrets Factsheet: Sen. James Inhofe.