John Paul, a regional air pollution officer from Dayton, Ohio, dared to argue in congressional testimony last month that the Clear Skies Act was “simply not protective enough” and “far too lenient” on polluters.
For that sin, Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), chair of the Senate Environment Committee, is going to make Paul and his cohorts pay.
Paul was testifying as a representative of the literally (and unfortunately) named Association of Local Air Pollution Control Officials and its sister group, State and Territorial Air Pollution Program Administrators. (I always love seeing reporters squirm around mentioning this attached-at-the-hip duo. Even their joint acronym — STAPPA/ALAPCO — is far more than a mouthful.)
So Inhofe is now demanding that the groups turn over financial records, including IRS filings and records of grants received from the EPA.
Is it even worth the pixels to point out that he made no such request of two other groups whose reps testified on Clear Skies, the National Association of Manufacturers and the U.S. Conference of Mayors, though the mayors’ org has also received EPA grants? And that those two groups happen to think Clear Skies is just ducky?
Couldn’t Inhofe be a little more subtle with his intimidation? Perhaps send around some scowling thugs brandishing cudgels?
