Contacts:

Matt Dempsey Matt_Dempsey@epw.senate.gov (202) 224-9797

David Lungren David_Lungren@epw.senate.gov (202) 224-5642

INHOFE VOTES AGAINST NOMINEE TO HEAD FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE

Expresses Hope That ‘Significant Concerns' Can Be Resolved

Washington, D.C.-Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, today voted in committee against Dan Ashe, nominated to be Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service.  Sen. Inhofe expressed hope that significant issues tied to Mr. Ashe, including those affecting Oklahoma, could be resolved as his nomination moves to the Senate floor. 

After the vote, Inhofe released the following statement:

"I have great respect for Mr. Ashe-as a 16-year veteran of the Fish and Wildlife Service, he is undoubtedly a committed public servant.   I also appreciate his honesty.  Nonetheless, I still have significant concerns with his nomination, which is why I voted ‘no'.  And I reserve the right to stop this nomination if my concerns are not addressed.  I hope that they will be.

"I remain troubled that Mr. Ashe did not provide sufficient answers about the potential listing of the Lesser Prairie Chicken, which affects jobs and economic development in Oklahoma.  I believe Candidate Conservation Agreements and other public-private partnerships should run their course before listing is considered.  I hope Mr. Ashe comes to share that view. (Learn More About Prairie Chicken Listing and Impacts on Wind Energy Development)

"The nominee is also committed to the Service's statement, recently expressed in a strategic plan, that it will examine ‘everything we do, every decision we make, and every dollar we spend, through the lens of climate change.'  The Service also stated, in the same document, that it will address the ‘causative factors' of climate change.  This posture transforms, without Congressional authorization, the basic mission of the agency.  Mr. Ashe indicated these statements are merely ‘aspirational.'  That's fine, but I need a commitment that climate change, whatever one's view of its underlying causes, will not become the overriding concern governing the agency's day-to-day affairs.  More to the point, the agency must respect the legal bounds clearly established by Congress."

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