On Friday, Sen. Jim Inhofe used more than two hours of the Senate’s time continuing to rail against the reality of climate change. Instead of being an advocate for the state of Oklahoma, Sen. Inhofe is still debating an issue that’s long settled.
Oklahoma City’s daily paper, The Oklahoman, included some of my response to Sen. Inhofe’s floor speech:
State Sen. Andrew Rice, an Oklahoma City Democrat who plans to run against Inhofe next year, said Inhofe, rather than "always posturing as the obstacle to change," could "help Oklahoma by leading the charge for conversion to clean-burning energy." Rice said, "In addition to our rich deposits of natural gas, Oklahoma has an abundance of wind, switch grass, animal fats and other natural resources that can be converted to renewable fuels."
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The article also included comments from Sen. Barbara Boxer, who yesterday responded in kind to Sen. Inhofe’s speech:
"There are always people who will say HIV doesn't cause AIDS," Boxer said. "There are always those who will say cigarette smoking doesn't cause cancer ... You can come down to this (Senate) floor and say everything is beautiful, but you're not in touch with reality."
With incredible resources for cleaner-burning energy options within Oklahoma, this state needs a Senator who will advocate for change and for continued development of these energy alternatives. Oklahoma could lead our nation in producing energy from wind, switchgrass, animal products, and other sources; plus, we have significant natural gas reserves. But because Sen. Inhofe is tied to special interests that profit from our nation’s oil dependence, he blocks these developments and instead focuses on a debate that has been finished for years.
I’m in this race to be the advocate that Oklahoma needs – and our nation needs – on issues such as renewable fuels and climate change, not to be an advocate for special interests. I know I can defeat Jim Inhofe, but he will be rewarded by the special interests he serves, so I'll need your help to match his cash reserves.
Sincerely,
Andrew Rice
Oklahoma State Senator
andrewforoklahoma.com
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