Jim Inhofe: “I will clarify a couple of things that were said by the distinguished Senator from Washington that I am sure she…”

“I will clarify a couple of things that were said by the distinguished Senator from Washington that I am sure she believes are true but need to be elaborated upon. First, characterizing the consideration of going back to the old policy as something that happened in the middle of the night, something that happened in the dark, something that happened in a less than honest way is not at all accurate. I suggest two things. First, I chaired the Subcommittee on Clean Air, Wetlands, Private Property and Nuclear Safety of the Environment and Public Works Committee in 1998 and 1999. During that time, of course, we had jurisdiction over the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. During that time, they had countless hearings. They had comment periods. They talked about this out in the open, with people given an opportunity to be heard. I happened to be chairing the committee that had oversight at the time. I remember that very well. Second, I suggest this was discussed in the Senate Armed Services Committee. It certainly was not something that was done in any way that was less than totally honest and totally done in the daylight.”