Hot Air Interview: Inhofe on EPA battle, WH budget (Inhofe video) plus Rick Perry for President

EPA is on notice from Senator Inhofe that Oklahoma is about to join the fight with Texas on coal-fired power plants since the EPA turned down 11 power plants in Texas last year. Oklahoma is a heavy weight thanks to our Senators going to court after the EPA. We won the last battle not to have reformulated gasoline in our state.  You can take it to the bank, Texas and Oklahoma will win this batter against the EPA.

We agree 100% with Senator Inhofe's analysis of Rick Perry in the Presidential race even though he says he is not running. Perry in the race would rejuvenate Republicans -- no one can sit through a Rick Perry speech and not be energized. What he brings to the table is someone who has a backbone and is not afraid to take on the Feds over the the 10th Amendment. Texas has some problems but not even close to what other states are going through because Rick Perry and the legislature have made Texas a friendly place to do business and it is showing up in the number of companies who have moved to Texas. Their tort reform is second to none, it is a Right to Work state, and the doors of Texas have been open for business for years.

When we get back to the EPA, I mention the fight Texas and Governor Rick Perry have on their hands, to which Inhofe says, “He’s looking better and better in the president’s race.” When I say that Perry has issued a string of denials, Inhofe responds, “Well, we can all be cute about that.” Inhofe reminded me that the EPA killed eleven coal-fired power plants in Texas a year ago, and also promised that his home state of Oklahoma will shortly get into the fight as well.

This is one site that is encouraging Rick Perry to run for President. Right after his speech at CPAC a note was sent back to his campaign about running for President. The Texas Governor has done a tremendous job and is not afraid to take on any and all comers. In fact, we would say that Rick Perry is Obama's worst nightmare after all the EPA has done to Texas!

Am looking forward to Oklahoma with Senator Inhofe joining this battle with Texas on coal-fired power plants. Will West Virginia and Pennsylvania be joining the battle next?

Note to Obama and his EPA: When Senator Inhofe and Oklahoma joins the fight with Texas, you all need to run for the nearest exit because the Senator and the Governor are not going to lose. Took Senator Inhofe years to be proven right about global warming in the face of ridicule so if you think this coal-power plant issue is going to stop him, the 800 lb gorilla is about to get involved!

Video: Inhofe on EPA battle, WH budgetPosted at 9:30 am on February 15, 2011 by Ed Morrissey

Yesterday, I sat down with Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) to discuss the latest developments in his battle to rein in the EPA and Lisa Jackson. Inhofe says that Barack Obama may have failed to succeed in getting cap-and-trade passed, but Inhofe says that Obama has been attempting to get the same result through EPA regulatory expansion. The Senator has a remarkable depth of expertise in the energy sector, which he puts to good use in this conversation. If we were allowed to get to our own resources, we would have enough oil and natural gas to supply American power for the next century, Inhofe says.

Of course, with the White House releasing its budget proposal, we also spoke about the surprisingly weak effort from Obama to contain spending. Inhofe predicts that the Senate Democrats will split from the President on this budget, especially those who are running in red states in 2012 — a number Inhofe puts at 11. “There are trillions in increases,” Inhofe says, “but [defense cuts] are the only cuts I can find in this,” and says that Obama’s foreign policy and defense policy seems to rest on the notion that nations will hold hands and sing Kumbaya.

Source: Ed Morrisey at Hot Air