Jim Inhofe

Jim Inhofe
United States Senator from Oklahoma
Incumbent
Assumed office November 16, 1994 Serving with James Lankford
Preceded by	David Boren
Chairman of the Senate Environment Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2015
Preceded by	Barbara Boxer
In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007
Preceded by	Jim Jeffords
Succeeded by	Barbara Boxer
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma's 1st district
In office January 3, 1987 – November 15, 1994
Preceded by	Jim Jones
Succeeded by	Steve Largent
32nd Mayor of Tulsa
In office 1978–1984
Preceded by	Robert LaFortune
Succeeded by	Terry Young
Personal details
Born	James Mountain Inhofe November 17, 1934 Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Kay Kirkpatrick
Children	4
Alma mater	University of Tulsa
Religion	Presbyterianism
Website	Senate website
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1956–1958
Rank	Specialist 4

James Mountain "Jim" Inhofe (/ˈɪnhɒf/; born November 17, 1934) is the senior United States senator from Oklahoma and a member of the Republican Party. First elected to the Senate in 1994, he was the ranking member of the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and was its chairman from 2003 to 2007, then regained the chairmanship in January 2015. Inhofe served eight years as the United States representative for Oklahoma's 1st congressional district before his election to the Senate in 1994 and also previously served as both an Oklahoma state representative and senator.

For the United States presidential election in 2016 Inhofe endorsed fellow Republican John Kasich.^[1]

Early life, education, and business career

Inhofe was born in Des Moines, Iowa, the son of Blanche (née Mountain) and Perry Dyson Inhofe.^[2] He moved with his family to Tulsa, Oklahoma, when he was a child. He was a member of the Class of 1953 at Tulsa Central High School,^[3] and served in the United States Army from 1957 to 1958.^[4] Inhofe received a B.A. degree when he was nearly 40 years old from the University of Tulsa in 1973.

Inhofe worked as a businessman for 30 years before becoming a full-time politician.^[5] He worked in the field of aviation, as a real estate developer, and in insurance, eventually becoming the president of the Quaker Life Insurance Company. During the time he worked for Quaker Life, the company went into receivership; it was liquidated in 1986.^[6]

Early political career

State legislature

Inhofe became active in Oklahoma Republican politics in the mid-1960s. He was a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1967 to 1969, and a member of the Oklahoma Senate from 1969 until 1977, the last four of those years as minority leader.

1974 gubernatorial election

In 1974, he ran for Governor of Oklahoma. In October 1974, then-President Gerald Ford visited Oklahoma to campaign for him.^[7][8] A late October poll by the Daily Oklahoman showed Boren leading 74%–25%.^[9] He lost to Democratic State Representative David Boren 64%–36%. Inhofe won only four counties in the election.^[10] He lost 57 pounds during the campaign and was down to 148 pounds.^[11]

1976 congressional election

In 1976, he ran for Oklahoma's 1st congressional district. In the Republican primary, he defeated State Senator Frank Keating and Mary Warner 67%–25%–8%.^[12] In the general election, he lost to incumbent Democrat James R. Jones 54%–45%.^[13]

Mayor of Tulsa

In 1978, he ran for mayor of Tulsa, defeating Democrat Rodger Randle 51%–46%.^[14] In 1980, he won re-election unopposed^[15] and in 1982, he won re-election with 59%.^[16]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

In 1986, when Congressman Jones decided to retire to run for the U.S. Senate, Inhofe ran for the 1st District and won the Republican primary with 54%.^[17] In the general election, he defeated Democrat Gary Allison 55%–43%.^[18] In 1988, he won re-election against Democrat Kurt Glassco, Governor George Nigh's legal counsel, 53%–47%.^[19] In 1990, he defeated Glassco in a rematch 56%–44%.^[20] After redistricting, the 1st District contained only two counties, all of Tulsa and some parts of Wagoner. In 1992, he won re-election with 53% of the vote.^[21]

Tenure

In 1987, he voted against President Ronald Reagan's budget, which included tax increases and no increase in defense spending.^[22]

He first came to national attention in 1993, when he led the effort to reform the House's discharge petition rule, which the House leadership had long used to bottle up bills in committee.

U.S. Senate

Elections

In 1994, incumbent Senator David Boren, who had been serving in the Senate since 1979, agreed to become president of the University of Oklahoma and announced he would resign as soon as a successor was elected. Inhofe was elected Senator Boren's successor in this election cycle that saw the Republican Party take both houses of Congress and the Oklahoma governorship (the latter for only the second time in state history). Inhofe took the office on November 16 and took the next day, his 60th birthday, giving him more senatorial seniority than the incoming class of senators. After serving the last two years of Boren's term, he won his first full term in 1996. He was reelected in 2002 and 2008.

Tenure

Fundraising

In the 2008 election cycle, Inhofe's largest campaign donors represented the oil and gas ($446,900 in donations), leadership PACs ($316,720) and electric utilities ($221,654) industries/categories.^[23][24] In 2010, his largest donors represented the oil and gas ($429,950) and electric ($206,654) utilities.^[25]

The primary PACs donating to his campaigns were: Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association ($55,869), United Parcel Service ($51,850), National Association of Realtors ($51,700), National Rifle Association ($51,050) and American Medical Association ($51,000). Additionally, if company-sponsored PACs were combined with employee contributions, Koch Industries would be Inhofe's largest contributor, with $90,950 (less than 0.6% of total contributions), according to the Center for Responsive Politics.^[24][26]

Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse revelations

As a member of the Armed Services Committee, he was among the panelists questioning witnesses about the 2004 Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse, stating he was "outraged by the outrage" over the revelations of abuse. Although he believed that the individuals responsible for mistreating prisoners should be punished, he stated that the prisoners "are not there for traffic violations . . . they're murderers, they're terrorists, they're insurgents".^[27][28] In 2006, Inhofe was one of only nine senators to vote against the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 which prohibits "cruel, inhuman or degrading" treatment of individuals in U.S. Government custody.^[29][30]

Committee assignments

CODEL James Inhofe during a visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, October 27–28, 2014

Inhofe, as of the 114th Congress, is a member of the following committees:

• Committee on Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Airland
  • Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support
  • Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
• Committee on Environment and Public Works (Chairman)
  • As Chairman of the full committee, Inhofe may serve as an ex officio member of all subcommittees of which he is not already a full member.

Caucus memberships

• International Conservation Caucus
• Senate Army Caucus
• Senate Diabetes Caucus
• Senate General Aviation Caucus
• Senate Rural Health Caucus
• Senate Tourism Caucus
• Sportsmen's Caucus

Ideology and opinions

Inhofe is one of the most conservative members of either house of Congress (the eighth-most conservative senator, according to the March 2007 National Journal rankings of Liberal/Conservative members of Congress.^[31])

Environmental issues

Early years; 2003 Chair of Environment and Public Works committee

Before the Republicans regained control of the Senate in the November 2002 elections, Inhofe had compared the United States Environmental Protection Agency to a Gestapo bureaucracy,^[32][33] and EPA Administrator Carol Browner to Tokyo Rose.^[34] In January 2003 he became Chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and continued challenging mainstream science in favor of what he called "sound science", in accordance with the Luntz memo.^[33]

Global warming a "hoax"

Since 2003, when he was first elected Chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Inhofe has been the foremost Republican promoting arguments for climate change denial in the global warming controversy. He famously said in the Senate that global warming is a hoax, and has invited contrarians to testify in Committee hearings, and spread his views via the Committee website run by Marc Morano, and through his access to conservative media.^[35][36] In 2012, Inhofe's The Greatest Hoax: How the Global Warming Conspiracy Threatens Your Future was published by WorldNetDaily Books, presenting his global warming conspiracy theory.^[37] He said that, because "God's still up there", the "arrogance of people to think that we, human beings, would be able to change what He is doing in the climate is to me outrageous."^[38][39][40] However, he says he appreciates that this does not win arguments, and he has "never pointed to Scriptures in a debate, because I know this would discredit me." His opposition to climate action is as much based on concerns about over-regulation of businesses, and he has shown ability to work with his Senate opponents on other issues: in 2003 he co-sponsored legislation to protect the Kemp's ridley sea turtle.^[41]

As Environment and Public Works chairman, Inhofe made a two-hour-long Senate Floor speech on July 28, 2003 in the context of discussions on the McCain-Lieberman Bill.^[42] He said he was "going to expose the most powerful, most highly financed lobby in Washington, the far left environmental extremists", and laid out in detail his opposition to attribution of recent climate change to humans, using the word "hoax" four times including the statement that he had "offered compelling evidence that catastrophic global warming is a hoax", and his conclusion expressing his belief that "manmade global warming is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people".^[43][44] He supported what he called "sound science" with citations from scientists; contrarians including Patrick Michaels, Fred Singer, Richard Lindzen and Sallie Baliunas as well as some mainstream scientists. Two of these, Tom Wigley and Stephen Schneider, later issued statements that Inhofe had misrepresented their work.^[44][45]

On July 29, the day after his Senate speech, Inhofe chaired an Environment and Public Works hearing with contrarian views represented by Baliunas and David Legates, and praised their "1,000-year climate study", then involved in the Soon and Baliunas controversy, as "a powerful new work of science". Against them, Michael E. Mann defended mainstream science and specifically his work which they and the Bush administration disputed in the hockey stick controversy.^[42][46] During the hearing Senator Jim Jeffords read out an email from Hans von Storch saying he had resigned as editor in chief of the journal which had published the Soon and Baliunas paper, as the peer-review had "failed to detect significant methodological flaws in the paper" and the critique published by Mann and colleagues was valid.^[46][47]

In a continuation of these themes, Inhofe had a 20-page brochure published under the Seal of the United States Senate reiterating his "hoax" statement, comparing the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to a "Soviet style trial", and in a section headed "The IPCC Plays Hockey" he attacked what he called "Mann's flawed, limited research."^[48][49] The brochure restated themes from Inhofe's Senate speech, and in December 2003 he distributed copies of it in Milan at a meeting discussing the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, where he met "green activists" with posters quoting him as saying that global warming "is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people". He signed a poster for them,^[33] and thanked them for quoting him correctly. In an October 2004 Senate speech he said "Global warming is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people. It was true when I said it before, and it remains true today. Perhaps what has made this hoax so effective is that we hear over and over that the science is settled and there is a consensus that, unless we fundamentally change our way of life by limiting greenhouse gas emissions, we will cause catastrophic global warming. This is simply a false statement."^[48][50] In January 2005 Inhofe told Bloomberg News that global warming was "the second-largest hoax ever played on the American people, after the separation of church and state", and that carbon dioxide would not be restricted by the Clear Skies Act of 2003.^[51][52][53] In a Senate Floor "update", he extended his argument against Mann's work by extensively citing Michael Crichton's fictional thriller, State of Fear, mistakenly describing Crichton as a "scientist".^[54] On August 28, 2005, at Inhofe's invitation, Crichton appeared as an expert witness at a hearing on climate change, disputing Mann's work.^[48]

In The Republican War on Science, Chris Mooney stated in 2006 that Inhofe "politicizes and misuses the science of climate change".^[55] During a heat wave in July 2006, Inhofe said to the Tulsa World newspaper that the environmentalist movement reminded him of "the Third Reich, the Big Lie", as "You say something over and over and over and over again, and people will believe it, and that's their strategy."^[53][56]

In a September 2006 Senate speech, Inhofe argued that the threat of global warming was exaggerated by "the media, Hollywood elites and our pop culture". He said that in the 1960s the media had switched from warning of global warming to warning of global cooling and a coming ice age, then in the 1970s had returned to warming to promote "climate change fears".^[57] In February 2007 he told Fox News that mainstream science increasingly attributed climate change to natural causes, and only "those individuals on the far left, such as Hollywood liberals and the United Nations" opposed this.^[58]

In 2006, Inhofe introduced Senate Amendment 4682 with Kit Bond (R-MO), which would have modified oversight responsibility of the Army Corps of Engineers. The League of Conservation Voters, an environmentalist group, said analyses for corps projects "have been manipulated to favor large-scale projects that harm the environment."^[59] During the 109th Congress, Inhofe voted to increase offshore oil drilling, to include provisions for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in the House Budget Amendment, and to deny funding for both low-income energy assistance and environmental stewardship, citing heavy costs and unproven programs.^[59]

In May 2009 he gave support to the idea that black carbon is a significant contributor to global warming.^[60]

James Inhofe has been a recipient of monies from the fossil fuel industry. For example: "Exxon’s beneficiaries in Congress include the Oklahoma senator Jim Inhofe, who called global warming a hoax, and who has received $20,500 since 2007, according to the Dirty Energy Money database maintained by Oil Change International." ^[61][62]

Climatic Research Unit email controversy

On November 23, 2009, as the Climatic Research Unit email controversy emerged, Inhofe said that the emails confirmed his view that scientists were "cooking the science".^[63][64] On December 7 on the CNN program The Situation Room Inhofe said that the emails showed that the science behind climate change "has been pretty well debunked", the fact checking organization Politifact concluded that Inhofe's statement was false.^[65] On the same day, Inhofe said he would lead a three-man "truth squad" consisting of himself and fellow senators Roger Wicker and John Barrasso to the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. However, Inhofe was unable to secure meetings with any negotiators or delegations to the conference and only met with a small group of reporters.^{[66][67][68][69]} The minority group of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works prepared a report on "the CRU Controversy", published in February 2010, which listed as "Key Players" 17 scientists including Mann and Jones. Inhofe said it showed that the controversy was "about unethical and potentially illegal behavior by some of the world's leading climate scientists."^[70][71] On May 26 Inhofe formally requested the Inspector General of the United States Department of Commerce to investigate how the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had dealt with the emails, and whether the emails showed any wrongdoing; it found no major issues or inappropriate actions.^[72][73]

Global warming temperatures

In July 2010 Inhofe stated, "I don't think that anyone disagrees with the fact that we actually are in a cold period that started about nine years ago. Now, that's not me talking, those are the scientists that say that." The Union of Concerned Scientists said that what Inhofe stated was wrong, pointing to an NOAA report indicating that, through July 2010 had been the hottest summer on record since 1880. Inhofe added that "People on the other side of this argument back in January, they said, 'Inhofe, it has nothing to do with today's or this month or next month. We're looking at a long period of time. We go into twenty year periods.'"^[74][75][76]

During a House committee hearing in 2011, Inhofe testified, "I have to admit—and, you know, confession is good for the soul... I, too, once thought that catastrophic global warming was caused by anthropogenic gases—because everyone said it was."^[77] Under questioning from committee member Jay Inslee, Inhofe dismissed the notion that he was less knowledgeable than climate scientists, saying that he'd already given "five speeches on the science."^[77]

2015: Chair of Environment and Public Works committee

On January 21, 2015, Inhofe returned to chairing the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, as part of a new Republican majority in the Senate. In response to reports by NOAA and NASA that the year 2014 had been the warmest globally in the temperature record, he said "we had the coldest in the western hemisphere in the same time frame", and attributed changes to a 30-year cycle, not human activities.^[78] In a debate on the same day about a bill for the Keystone XL pipeline, Inhofe endorsed an amendment proposed by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, "Climate change is real and not a hoax", which passed 98–1. Inhofe clarified his view that "Climate is changing and climate has always changed and always will. There is archaeological evidence of that, there is biblical evidence of that, there is historical evidence of that", but added that "there are some people who are so arrogant to think they are so powerful they can change climate."^[79]

On February 26, 2015, Inhofe brought a snowball on to the Senate floor and tossed it before delivering remarks in which he claimed that environmentalists keep talking about global warming even though it keeps getting cold.^[80]

Hydraulic fracturing

On March 19, 2015, Inhofe introduced S.828, “The Fracturing Regulations are Effective in State Hands (FRESH) Act.” The bill would transfer regulatory power over hydraulic fracturing from the federal government to state governments. In his announcement of the bill, Inhofe said that hydraulic fracturing has never contaminated ground water in Oklahoma (the state he represents in the Senate).^[81] Both U.S. senators from 7 states (Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, South Dakota and Texas) cosponsored the bill with Inhofe.^[82]

Other political positions

Israel

In a Senate speech on March 4, 2002, Inhofe presented his position on the "seven reasons that Israel has the right to their land."^[83]

These are summarized as follows:

1. Archeological evidence. Excerpt: "Every time there is a dig in Israel, it does nothing but support the fact that Israelis have had a presence there for 3,000 years."
2. Historic right. Inhofe's case includes the historic presence of Israel prior to the Roman Empire, and the promise given to the Jews by Britain in 1917 to provide a Jewish homeland.
3. Agricultural development. Inhofe argues that Israel has been "able to bring more food out of a desert environment than any other country in the world."
4. Humanitarian concerns. Inhofe argues that due to the extent of their persecution - he cites Russia - and their slaughter - during World War II by the Nazis - the Jews are entitled to a homeland, and that this is not an unreasonable demand.
5. Strategic ally of the United States. "They vote with us in the United Nations more than England, more than Canada, more than France, more than Germany — more than any other country in the world."
6. Acting as an effective roadblock to terrorism. In this part of his speech, Inhofe refers to four wars which Israel has fought and won (as of the date of his speech, dated 2002): "The 1948 War of Independence, the 1956 Sinai campaign, the 1967 Six Day War, and the 1973 Yom Kippur War." And he states that "In all four cases, Israel was attacked. They were not the aggressor ... In regard to their effectiveness, they are great warriors. They consider a level playing field being outnumbered 2-to-1." He also states at this point that, "One of the reasons I believe the spiritual door was opened for an attack against the United States is that the policy of our government has been to ask the Israelis, and demand it with pressure, not to retaliate in a significant way against the terrorist strikes that have been launched against them."^[83]
7. Biblical references. Inhofe states, "I believe very strongly that we ought to support Israel, and that it has a right to the land, because God said so."

In a Senate speech, Inhofe said that America should base its Israel policy on the text of the Bible:^[83]

“

I believe very strongly that we ought to support Israel; that it has a right to the land. This is the most important reason: Because God said so. As I said a minute ago, look it up in the Book of Genesis. It is right up there on the desk. In Genesis 13:14–17, the Bible says: The Lord said to Abraham, "Lift up now your eyes, and look from the place where you are northward, and southward, and eastward and westward: for all the land which you see, to you will I give it, and to your seed forever. . . . Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it to thee." That is God talking. The Bible says that Abraham removed his tent and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar before the Lord. Hebron is in the West Bank. It is at this place where God appeared to Abram and said, "I am giving you this land — the West Bank". This is not a political battle at all. It is a contest over whether or not the word of God is true.

”

In March 2002, Inhofe also made a speech before the U.S. Senate that included the explicit suggestion that the 9/11 terrorist attacks were a form of divine retribution against the U.S. for failing to defend Israel. He said: "One of the reasons I believe the spiritual door was opened for an attack against the United States of America is that the policy of our Government has been to ask the Israelis, and demand it with pressure, not to retaliate in a significant way against the terrorist strikes that have been launched against them."^[83]

Syria

Inhofe has condemned President Barack Obama's inaction on Syria.^[84]

Immigration

Inhofe wrote the Inhofe Amendment to the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, which was debated in Congress in May 2006. The amendment would make English the national language of the United States and require that new citizens take an English proficiency test. The amendment was passed on May 18, 2006 with 32 Democrats, one independent, and one Republican dissenting. The measure had 11 cosponsors, including one Democrat.

In the debate, Inhofe cited a 2005 Zogby Poll^[85] showing 84% of Americans support making English the official language of governmental operations, including 71% of Hispanics. He also noted that 27 states and 51 nations have made English their official language and that the Office of Management and Budget estimated that it costs taxpayers $1–2 billion to provide language assistance under President Bill Clinton's Executive Order 13166 that created the entitlement to services provided in any language other than English.

LGBT rights

Inhofe pointing at a large photograph of his family, proclaiming none have been divorced or LGBT

Inhofe has generally been seen as overtly hostile by LGBT advocacy groups, earning a 0% in every one of his terms on Human Rights Campaign's position scorecard.^[86] Inhofe is in favor of a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, against adding sexual orientation to the definition of hate crimes, and voted against prohibiting job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.^[87] Inhofe's office has said he "does not hire openly gay staffers due to the possibility of a conflict of agenda."^[88]

Inhofe campaigned for his Senate seat in 1994 using the phrase "God, guns, and gays."^[89][90] In 2008, his campaign was noted by the Associated Press for running an ad with "anti-gay overtones" featuring a wedding cake with two male figures on top, fading into his opponent's face.^[91]

GI Bill reform

Inhofe, an initial sponsor of Senator Jim Webb's Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, subsequently withdrew support for this bill to support S 2938, a competing bill that would have provided benefits beyond those offered in Webb's bill.^[92] However, Inhofe voted to enact Webb's legislation in June 2008.^[93]

Inhofe agreed to support legislation allowing military mental health specialists to talk with veterans about private firearms in an effort to reduce suicides.^[94]

Misconduct while piloting an aircraft in 2010

Trained by the US Navy, Inhofe is one of the few members of Congress who is licensed as a commercial pilot. In 1994, when he first ran for the U.S. Senate, he used his plane as a daily campaign vehicle to travel throughout Oklahoma and visit almost every town in the state.^[95] He has been influential in Senate and Congressional debates involving aircraft regulation.^[96]

On October 21, 2010, at the age of 75, Inhofe landed his Cessna on a closed runway at a south Texas airport, scattering construction workers who ran for their lives. In a recorded telephone call, the men's supervisor told the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that Inhofe "scared the crap out of" the workers, adding that the Cessna "damn near hit" a truck. And the airport manager, also speaking to the FAA in a recorded telephone call, opined: "I've got over 50 years flying, three tours of Vietnam, and I can assure you I have never seen such a reckless disregard for human life in my life. Something needs to be done. This guy is famous for these violations."^[97]

In response to the incident, Inhofe stated that he "did nothing wrong", and accused the FAA of "agency overreach" and causing a "feeling of desperation" in him. He agreed to take a remedial training program, and the FAA agreed not to pursue legal action against him if he took the program. In July 2011, Inhofe introduced a bill to create a "Pilot's Bill of Rights" which he said would increase fairness in FAA enforcement actions.^[98] The bill was passed in 2012.^[99]

Taxpayer-funded travel

Inhofe has made multiple foreign trips, especially to Africa, on missions that he described as "a Jesus thing" and that were paid for by the U.S. government. He has used these trips for activities on behalf of The Fellowship, a Christian organization.^[100] Inhofe has said that his trips included some governmental work but also involved "the political philosophy of Jesus, something that had been put together by Doug Coe, the leader of The Fellowship...It's all scripturally based." Inhofe used his access as a Senator to pursue religious goals.^[101]

Federal disaster relief

Inhofe has consistently voted against federal disaster relief, most notably in the case of relief for the 24 states affected by Hurricane Sandy.^[102] However, he argues for federal aid when natural disasters hit Oklahoma.^[103] In defense of his decision to vote against a relief fund for Hurricane Sandy, but not in Oklahoma after tornadoes ravaged the state in May 2013, he claimed the situations were "totally different" the difference being the Sandy funding involved "Everybody getting in and exploiting the tragedy that took place. That won't happen in Oklahoma."^[104] Inhofe pointedly did not thank President Obama for his attention to the tragedy in his state, so as to not be compared to Chris Christie.^[105]

Personal life

In 1959, Inhofe married Kay Kirkpatrick, with whom he has four children.

On November 10, 2013, Inhofe's son, Dr. Perry Inhofe, died in a plane crash in Owasso, Oklahoma. Inhofe was flying alone for the first time since training in a newly acquired plane.^[106]

Inhofe was the first recipient of the U.S. Air Force Academy's Character and Leadership Award for his character and leadership in public service.

Electoral history

Oklahoma's 1st congressional district: Results 1986–1992^[107]

Year		Democratic	Votes	Pct		Republican	Votes	Pct
1986		Gary D. Allison	61,663	43%		James Inhofe	78,919	55%
1988		Kurt G. Glassco	93,101	47%		James Inhofe	103,458	53%
1990		Kurt G. Glassco	59,521	44%		James Inhofe	75,618	56%
1992		John Selph	106,619	47%		James Inhofe	119,211	53%

In the 1986 first district election, a minor party candidate gained 2% of the vote.

Oklahoma Senator (Class II): Results 1990–2014^[107][108]

Year		Democratic	Votes	Pct		Republican	Votes	Pct
1994		Dave McCurdy	392,488	40%		James Inhofe	542,390	55%
1996		James Boren	474,162	40%		James Inhofe	670,610	57%
2002		David Walters	369,789	36%		James Inhofe	583,579	57%
2008		Andrew Rice	527,736	39%		James Inhofe	763,375	57%
2014		Matt Silverstein	234,307	29%		James Inhofe	558,166	68%

Minor party candidates not shown.

See also

• U.S. Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works
• Politics of Oklahoma
• List of U.S. Senators from Oklahoma

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30. Babington, Charles; Murray, Shailagh (October 6, 2005). "Senate Supports Interrogation Limits". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
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33. Chris Mooney (April 16, 2004). "Earth Last: James Inhofe proves "flat Earth" doesn't refer to Oklahoma". The American Prospect. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
34. "I think we have got a Tokyo Rose running the EPA." – Inhofe's remarks to the Oklahoma Farm Bureau, as reported in the Tulsa World, November 18, 1997.
35. Kutney 2014, p. 107.
36. John S. Dryzek; Richard B. Norgaard; David Schlosberg (August 18, 2011). The Oxford Handbook of Climate Change and Society. Oxford University Press. p. 153. ISBN 978-0-19-956660-0. The single most prominent Republican when it comes to climate change denial is Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe, famous for claiming in a Senate speech that global warming is 'the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people.' 
37. Inhofe, James. The greatest hoax : how the global warming conspiracy threatens your future (1st ed.). Washington, D.C.: WND Books. ISBN 1936488493.
38. Kutney 2014, p. 112.
39. Inhofe on Voice of Christian Youth America's radio program March 8, 2012 James Inhofe Says the Bible Refutes Climate Change
40. Leber, Rebecca (November 5, 2014). "Congratulations, Voters; You Just Made This Climate Denier the Most Powerful Senator on the Environment". NewRepublic.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
41. Ben Terris (7 January 2015). "Jim Inhofe is a small-plane-flying, global-warming-denying senator. And now he’s got a gavel.". Washington Post. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
42. Revkin, Andrew C. (August 5, 2003). "Politics Reasserts Itself in the Debate Over Climate Change and Its Hazards". New York Times. Retrieved 2014-01-13. In a two-hour speech on July 28 on the Senate floor, Senator James M. Inhofe
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44. "Congressional Record, Volume 149 Issue 113 (July 28, 2003)". U.S. Government Publishing Office Home Page. July 28, 2003. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
45. Chris Mooney (2007), The Republican War on Science, Basic Books, pp. 84–86, ISBN 978-0-465-00386-0
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51. Jay Newton-Small (January 21, 2005). "Bush Plans Pollution Rules by March, Disappointing Utilities". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 2014-11-11.
52. Charles P. Pierce. "In Praise of Oklahoma". The American Prospect. February 23, 2005.
53. Nicks, Denver (July 29, 2009). "The Craziest Senator". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
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56. Myers, Jim (2006-07-22). "Heat wave has senator sticking to beliefs". Tulsa World (Tulsa, OK). Archived from the original on 2007-08-11.
57. Text of speech by James Inhofe in the Senate on September 25, 2006 on global warming. Retrieved 28 Sept 2006.
58. Kutney 2014, p. 109.
59. LCV Scorecard
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61. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/15/exxon-mobil-gave-millions-climate-denying-lawmakers
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64. Dempsey, Matt (November 23, 2009). "Listen: Inhofe Says He Will Call for Investigation on "Climategate" on Washington Times Americas Morning Show". The Inhofe EPW Press Blog. U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Archived from the original on 24 November 2009. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
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73. "U.S. scientists cleared in 'climategate' – Technology & Science". CBC News. February 24, 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
74. "Senator Inhofe Erroneously Claims We Are In A Nine-Year Cooling Trend". Union of Concerned Scientists. July 23, 2010. Archived from the original on October 2, 2013.
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83. "Peace in the Middle East Speech". Jim Inhofe. March 4, 2002. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
84. "Congress speaks with a loud, muddled voice on Syria."
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88. Reprinted in Seattle Times, "Senate takes up fight on banning gay marriages" Chicago Tribune – Chicago, Ill. Jill Zuckman and Anastasia Ustinova, Washington Bureau. Jul 11, 2004
89. Freshmen: What Happened to the Republican Revolution?, Linda Killian, 1999. Basic Books. "From there it was on to Hominy, where Inhofe walked up and down Main Street and stopped by the local coffee shop to shake some hands. He told the morning customers the Senate race could be summed up by the "three Gs – God, gays, and guns." Inhofe asserted Dave McCurdy was a liberal Washington insider out of touch with what Oklahomans care about, who was against prayer in schools, for gays in the military and gun control, and who voted with Bill Clinton more than 80 percent of the time."
90. Jacob Weisberg. "It's Even Worse For Clinton Than You Think," New York Magazine, November 21, 1994, page 41. Inhofe describes how the phrase came to be in The Associated Press via USA Today, Ron Jenkins, September 18, 2008. "Inhofe, in a telephone interview from Washington, recalled that 14 years ago he was told by a small group in Hugo that he would carry McCurtain County, a Democratic stronghold in southeastern Oklahoma. He said he asked the Hugo residents why he would win, "and they said because of the three G's. They're the ones who came up with that and it became almost a chant out there."
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94. Dao, James (October 7, 2012). "As Military Suicides Rise, Focus Is on Private Weapons". New York Times. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
95. The Freshmen: What Happened to the Republican Revolution?, Linda Killian, 1999. Basic Books. "Inhofe, one of Congress's few certified commercial pilots, has been crisscrossing the state in his 1969 Piper Aztec and managed to visit almost every town in Oklahoma before the end of the campaign."
96. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association says this about Inhofe: "An active pilot for more than 50 years, aircraft owner and AOPA member, Sen. Jim Inhofe has been at the forefront of every aviation debate since arriving in Congress in 1986, offering his real-world perspective. He was a major force behind passage of the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994 that is credited with reviving aviation manufacturing in America. During the current battle over user fees, Inhofe spent countless hours working behind the scenes to educate his colleagues in the Senate about the negative impacts of a user fee-funded system. He even took the unusual step of testifying before the Senate's aviation subcommittee to explain his opposition to user fees and the detrimental impact it would have on general aviation. Oklahoma pilots can be proud of Senator Inhofe's accomplishments and dedication to work on issues affecting pilots."
97. The Smoking Gun Inhofe "Scared The Crap Out Of" Airport Workers – retrieved April 14, 2011.
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99. S. 1335 (112th): Pilot's Bill of Rights. Govtrack.us.
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• Gerald Kutney (3 February 2014). Carbon Politics and the Failure of the Kyoto Protocol. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-91466-2.

External links

• United States Senator James Inhofe official Senate site
• Jim Inhofe at DMOZ
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Project Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at The Library of Congress
• Voices of Oklahoma interview with Jim Inhofe. First person interview conducted on September 29, 2011 with Jim Inhofe. Original audio and transcript archived with Voices of Oklahoma oral history project.