WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, today made the following statement in response to a study released by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) that shows significant increases in recoverable shale oil and natural gas reserves: "The Energy Information Administration report released earlier today revealed that technically-recoverable shale reserves have increased by... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), today made the following statement in response to intentions from the White House and members of the Senate to end the detention of terrorist and enemy combatants at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (GITMO): “It never ceases to amaze me that individuals continue to try and close Guantanamo Bay. It would be extremely unwise to allow the most dangerous terrorists and... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today made the following statement after Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced that one of the Navy's new Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) will be named the U.S.S. Tulsa: "Secretary Mabus called to inform me that he has chosen to name one of the Navy's new Littoral Combat Ships after the great city of Tulsa. Tulsa has a proud history within the United States Navy of being the namesake of... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), senior member of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, today made the following statement on his amendment number 961 to the Senate farm bill (S. 954) that would allow states to opt-out of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). “I applaud Chairman Lankford for highlighting the many problems that are inherent with the RFS during today's House Oversight and... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), today made the following statement in response to President Obama’s promotion of former U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice to be National Security Advisor: “Susan Rice was complicit in the deception the administration perpetrated after the attack on our diplomatic facilities in Libya,” said... Continue Reading »
As submitted for the record: “I thank Chairman Levin for convening this important hearing. “Today, we will address the legal and moral foundation of our nation’s military readiness, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, or “UCMJ”. Under the Constitution, Congress has the unique responsibility to make rules to govern and regulate our military. This responsibility is particularly important as we evaluate the effectiveness of the UCMJ in the context... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Congressmen Frank Lucas (R-Okla.-3), Tom Cole (R-Okla.-4), James Lankford (R-Okla.-5), Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla.-1) and Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.-2) today praised the decision from the Air Force to invoke Alternate Safe Haven Authorities which would except Tinker Air Force Base civilian personnel from furloughs whose homes were destroyed or declared inhabitable as a result of the recent tornadoes in Oklahoma. "The... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), senior member and former Chairman of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, today made the following statement on the passing of Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.): “I am deeply saddened by the passing of Sen. Lautenberg. During my time as chairman and ranking member of the EPW Committee, Frank was always willing to work with every member to find solutions for the difficult issues facing the committee. I... Continue Reading »
MOORE, OK – In the Weekly Republican Address, Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) talks about the devastating tornado that struck Moore, Oklahoma earlier this week. “Oklahoma has been hit hard, but we’re not knocked out,” says Oklahoma’s senior senator, who delivers the address on location in Moore. He continues, “The individuals who lived through these storms are volunteering in the recovery and the assisting efforts right now, and they’re America’s real... Continue Reading »
As prepared for delivery: "Chairwoman MacFarlane, I appreciate you appearing before the committee today. "First, I must thank you for restoring congeniality at the NRC. From what I understand, the working environment of the commission and its staff has significantly improved under your leadership, and for that you should be commended. "One of the most exciting developments over the past few years has been the tremendous expansion of oil and gas drilling. Where many believed we would... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), winner of the Farm Bureau’s prestigious Golden Plow Award in 2009, today expressed disappointment over the Senate’s rejection of his amendment to separate welfare programs from the Farm Bill. The amendment would have cut food stamp funding and converted it into a discretionary block grant to the states. The amendment failed yesterday by a vote of 36-60. “The farm bill being considered by the Senate today is not really a... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Congressman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.-3) today praised the decision from the U.S. Air Force to base the first Formal Training Unit (FTU) for the KC-46 air refueling tanker at Altus Air Force Base (AFB) in Altus, Okla. The new training mission will bring eight aircraft to Altus AFB, new military construction, and additional jobs for maintenance and technical support. “Today’s... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), made the following statement in response to the recent tornadoes that tore through Oklahoma on Sunday evening and Monday: “May the Lord be with those who lost family members and friends during the tragic tornadoes that destroyed and took many lives in Oklahoma over the past two days. Oklahomans will persevere as we have done in the face of tragedy and loss in the past, but we will never forget the young school children and the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, today made the following statement in response to the Department of Energy's (DOE) announcement to approve a second facility to export Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to countries that do not have a Free Trade Agreement with the United States. “I applaud the Department of Energy’s decision to approve a second LNG export facility, but the Department needs to move... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, made the following statement in response to the Department of Interior’s (DOI) re-proposal of the Hydraulic Fracturing (HF) rule, which would apply to the process when it occurs on federal lands. "The release of BLM's new HF rule is unnecessary," said Inhofe. "While it blesses the FracFocus system for chemical disclosure, this rule remains... Continue Reading »
"Thank you, Mr. Chairman. "Since the attacks on September 11, 2001, the Authorization for the Use of Military Force—commonly called the AUMF—has provided a strong legal basis for our counterterrorism efforts around the world. "It has been used by the Supreme Court as a primary justification for its rulings permitting the holding of detainees at Guantanamo Bay and the military detention of American citizens who have joined al-Qaeda. "There is also consensus among the three... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and senior member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, today introduced the Iran Sanctions Implementation Act of 2013 that would allow full enforcement of oil sanctions against Iran by requiring the president to expand U.S. domestic energy production on federal lands to offset Iran’s oil exports to the international community. The bill is cosponsored by Sens. Mitch... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), today voted in favor of S. 601, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2013, which passed the Senate by a vote of 83-14. The bill authorizes new water infrastructure projects for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and will significantly reduce the backlog of water projects across the country. “It is Congress’s constitutional duty to build and... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), in response to reports that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) unfairly targeted conservative groups, yesterday became an original cosponsor of the Taxpayer Nondiscrimination and Protection Act of 2013 introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). “The recent reports of political gamesmanship coming from this administration are disturbing, unethical, and if true, illegal,” said Inhofe. “If there are IRS personnel who are found... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C.- U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today made the following statement in response to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel’s announcement that the Department of Defense (DOD) will furlough nearly 800,000 civilian employees to meet budget cuts from sequestration. “Secretary Hagel’s announcement today that the full impact of the administration’s failure to plan for the budget cuts from sequestration will now... Continue Reading »
