Yesterday I got a press release from the Sen. James Inhofe (R-Mongo) Senate Environment Committee Crap Factory© (SJISECCF) touting a new bill Inhofe is pushing that would amend the Clean Air Act “to strengthen penalties on major emission sources in the most polluted areas of the country that fail to meet clean air standards by the attainment deadlines under the current Clean Air Act.”
"Hm," I thought, "that actually sounds worthwhile."
"Hm," I then thought, "what am I missing?"
I was too lazy busy to look into it myself. Luckily, AP’s done the job for me. Turns out Inhofe’s pretty ticked about California’s plan to pass tough global warming legislation. So he’s trying to get revenge by jacking up fines on businesses in the state.
You see, the only two regions of the country that fit the description in Inhofe’s proposed bill are the Los Angeles basin and the San Joaquin Valley.
So, a man who’s worked his entire professional career on behalf of polluters is now punishing a small, select set of them in order to piss them off further about the progressive environmental legislation being passed in their state. He doesn’t just oppose the California legislation, he’s punishing the state for passing it.
How this man became and remains a member of the world’s most august deliberative body is an enduring mystery. Oklahoma has much to answer for.
