Inhofe says charges ignore his record

WASHINGTON — One of the nation's largest environmental groups has targeted Sen. Jim Inhofe for defeat next year, citing his vows to block legislation that would curb greenhouse gas emissions.

The League of Conservation Voters announced Tuesday that Inhofe, R-Tulsa, is the first of its "Dirty Dozen” targets in the 2008 election cycle.

Inhofe is the top Republican on the Senate committee that works on environmental issues. He was chairman of the panel until Democrats took over the Senate this year.

Tony Massaro, senior vice president of the League of Conservation Voters, said Tuesday that the issues of global warming and clean energy have "shot up” in voters' minds over the last few years.

Inhofe responded Tuesday by calling the group a liberal special interest group and said it was ignoring his record of balancing environmental protection with economic reality.

"I believe our incredible environmental progress over the years is not because of Washington's morass of federal laws .... Instead, I believe our achievements are directly attributable to the ingenuity and strong sense of personal accountability that is characteristic of the American people,” he said.

Inhofe said he had been named the U.S. Fish and Wildlife "Legislator of the Year” for pushing through a bill that helps private landowners restore fish and wildlife habitat. And he said he has focused federal resources on cleaning up Tar Creek Superfund site in northeastern Oklahoma.