Republican senator seeks revenge against environmental groups

If there’s an explanation for this kind of abuse of power, I’d love to hear it.

The chairman of a Senate committee that oversees environmental issues has directed two national organizations that oppose President Bush’s major clean-air initiative to turn over their financial and tax records to the Senate.

Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), who heads the Environment and Public Works Committee, asked for the documents 10 days after a representative of the two groups criticized Bush’s “Clear Skies” proposal before a Senate subcommittee. Inhofe is the leading sponsor of the administration bill, which is deadlocked in his panel.

Criticize a Republican bill, face Republican intimidation. Welcome to Bush’s America.

Rep. Henry A. Waxman of Los Angeles, the senior Democrat on the House Government Reform Committee, said: “There is not even any subtlety about this. This is a blatant attempt at intimidation and bullying so that experts will be afraid to speak out about a bill that rolls back air pollution protections for all Americans.”

The staff director for Inhofe’s committee said the panel wanted to know if the groups — the State and Territorial Air Pollution Program Administrators, which represents 48 state air pollution control agencies, and the Assn. of Local Air Pollution Control Officials, which represents more than 165 local agencies — received funding from environmentalists or foundations. This is a pretty weak justification — the groups have never received a dime from outside interests.

“We have a limited constituency — the 50 states and local agencies,” [William Becker, the executive director of both groups] said. “These are the only ones for whom we can work.”

One can only hope the groups will ignore Inhofe’s absurd request.