Inhofe Challenges EPA on $1.24 Billion Ante

Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., wants to know why the Environmental Protection Agency wants $1.24 billion on top of the $2.26 billion it has left over from its 2011 budget, reports The Daily Caller.

The Caller obtained a letter from Inhofe to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson that read, in part: “It is not unusual to have an office carry over an unobligated balance from year to year, but it is unusual to have an office carry over an amount that is over one and a half times its total fiscal year request.”

Inhofe, a senior member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, told the Caller: “At a time when we are looking for every opportunity to cut spending and reduce the deficit, the EPA must be held accountable for why such a large portion of funds from the FY2011 Superfund budget sat idle and were clearly not used to protect the environment or public health.”