Chafee's Death Opens Chair
Of Powerful Eco Committee

OKLAHOMA CITY —(AP)— Sen. Jim Inhofe's bid to become chairman of a committee that oversees environmental issues may have been scuttled by the withdrawal of a former Republican senator who has now withdrawn from the presidential race.

Inhofe, R-Okla., has been mentioned as a successor to the late Sen. John Chafee as head of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. The committee has broad jurisdiction that includes everything from air pollution to highway construction.

Chafee, a Rhode Island Republican, died last week.

Seniority-wise, Inhofe is not next in line for the job. Virginia Sen. John Warner is chairman of the Armed Services Committee, but he is not expected to give up control of that panel to take the position left vacant by Chafee's death.

So that leaves New Hampshire's Bob Smith, who dropped out of the Republican Party earlier this year. Smith had been running an independent presidential campaign, but he quit last Thursday, citing a lack of funds. He soon announced a return to the Republican fold.

Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., told reporters week that he had been trying to persuade Smith for weeks to return to the GOP. Interviewed earlier in the week, Lott declined to say whether Smith would get the chairmanship if he rejoined the party, keeping to an agreement among senators not to discuss the situation until after Chafee's funeral.

Inhofe also declined to discuss the matter in detail, but did say that he would take the job if it were offered.

``This committee can do more things for Oklahoma than possibly any other committee,'' Inhofe said. ``It would probably deal with more things that affect Oklahomans in their daily lives — the building of bridges and infrastructure.

``But also, we are just on the brink of the reauthorization of the Endangered Species Act. Wetlands (regulations) are very important'' to farmers and others in all parts of the state. The issue of new ambient air standards is also pending, he said.

Inhofe said it is routinely up to the committee to vote on a chairman; then, all Republican senators would have final approval. That action will occur this week, he said.

Betsy Loyless, political director for the League of Conservation Voters, said there would be ``profound'' differences in the committee's direction under Inhofe.

Chafee generally scored high on the environmental group's annual report card and had a lifetime score of 70 percent. Inhofe, who has often received a zero rating from the League, has a lifetime score of seven.

(If, as is often said, a man can be judged by the caliber of his enemies, Inhofe would appear to be an excellent candidate for the job. — Ed.)

``I would not anticipate that Senator Inhofe would have a particular interest in consensus building around conservation,'' she said. ``I think he would be more prone to follow an anti-environment agenda.''

But Lonnie Taylor, senior vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said, ``We think he would make an excellent leader in respect to bringing reasonable and effective leadership to environmental policy.''

Taylor said the Environmental Protection Agency has been able to use the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act and other laws to write regulations that have caused serious harm to businesses and economic development.

Inhofe is chairman of the Environment and Public Works subcommittee that oversees the Clean Air Act. In a hearing this month, he said the act ``has many successes but it also has had its share of failures.''

Inhofe is also the chairman of the Armed Services subcommittee on Military Readiness, a powerful position that has broad oversight over many Pentagon issues of importance to Oklahoma's military bases.