Barbara Boxer In Charge

Barbara Boxer let's James Inhofe knows who holds the gavel in the Environment and Public Works Committee now.

Update: Inhofe called global warming a "hoax."

Update: NPR has an audio report.

Update: Gore got into a heated exchange with Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas).

"You're not just off a little, you're totally wrong," said Texas Rep. Joe Barton, the leading Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, as he challenged Gore's conclusion that carbon dioxide emissions cause rising global temperatures. Barton and Gore's exchange grew testy at one point — Barton demanding that Gore get to the point and Gore responding that he would like time to answer without being interrupted.

"Global warming science is uneven and evolving," Barton said.

Gore insisted that the link is beyond dispute and is the source of broad agreement in the scientific community.

"The planet has a fever," Gore said. "If your baby has a fever, you go to the doctor. If the doctor says you need to intervene here, you don't say, `Well, I read a science fiction novel that told me it's not a problem.' If the crib's on fire, you don't speculate that the baby is flame retardant. You take action."

Barton is a former winner of the Earth Killer Award. Hope for Peace & Justice gives the award to "those who have worked tirelessly to remove and prevent regulations that would ensure clean air and water for future generations."