Articles & Op-eds
New Security Beat: Concerns Rise Over Governance Gap in Arctic
by McKenna Coffey
"We're attempting to do something that's never been done before in world history," said Senator Angus King (I-ME). "The peaceful development of a major new physical asset." He spoke of the Arctic Ocean at the 8th Symposium on the Impacts of an Ice-Diminishing Arctic on Naval and Maritime Operations. The symposium was hosted by the Wilson Center's Polar Institute, in partnership with the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, U.S. National Ice Center, Arctic Domain Awareness Center, Patuxent Partnershi… Continue Reading
07.27.19
Daily Energy Insider: Senate hearing examines benefits of energy innovation on the economy
by Dave Kovaleski
The U.S. Senate held a hearing last week to examine the importance of energy innovation to economic growth in the United States. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) opened the hearing by outlining the importance of innovation to our success as a nation. "Whether we are looking to bolster our energy supply or reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, innovation will need to be front and center and recognized as our best solution," Murkowski said. "In Alaska, we have alrea… Continue Reading
07.27.19
Maryland Matters: Rallying for the ERA
by Danielle E. Gaines
Lawmakers and advocates gathered on Capitol Hill this week to push for a change in law … that many American assume has already happened, they said. "Most Americans believe we've already gotten this done. But we haven't. And we're paying a heavy price because we have not," U.S. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Maryland) said at a briefing about the proposed Equal Rights Amendment on Thursday in the Russell Senate Office Building. "We're still on that path for equal rights for women. And we wil… Continue Reading
07.26.19
Elwood City Ledger: Casey bill reauthorizes funding for domestic violence program
by J.D. Rose
An estimated 1.3 million survivors of domestic violence could benefit from a bill co-introduced by U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and a Republican colleague. Casey, D-Scranton, and U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, have proposed renewing the Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act. According to a statement from Casey's office, the bill would authorize increased funding for the National Domestic Violence Hotline to be improved, especially for underserved communities, such as the deaf and… Continue Reading
07.22.19
Investor Intel: The U.S. rare earths saga continues…
by Matthew Bohlsen
Put simply, the US produces minimal rare earths, while China produces 70.59% (in 2018). This is important as rare earths are used as components in most electronic devices, electric vehicles, wind turbines, and the aerospace and defense industries. They are essential to our modern society, and the US depends on China's exports. Global rare earths production is dominated by China (in red) The US' only domestic rare earths producing mine is California's Mountain Pass rare earths mine, owned by MP… Continue Reading
07.20.19
Utility Dive: Advanced US nukes need a boost; is the Pentagon the answer?
by Catherine Morehouse
While nuclear energy has the dual attraction of zero carbon emissions and being a reliable form of baseload power, it remains cost prohibitive, especially when compared to natural gas and renewable energy options. In addition, the large-scale reactors that are the norm across the U.S. don't fit in with the growing trend toward smaller, decentralized power. Small, advanced nuclear reactors better fit that mold, but have yet to enter the market. So the key question, say stakeholders, is how to sp… Continue Reading
07.20.19
Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman: Murkowski discusses state, federal issues
by Tim Bradner
From 4,000 miles away, in the nation's capital, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski has to bite her tongue at times, watching the state's budget turmoil. "I know my lane," she says, knowing that her role in Congress is different than the difficult "lane" state officials are now in. However, Murkoswki and her colleagues in the state's congressional delegation, fellow senator Dan Sullivan and Cong. Don Young, have a laser focus on hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds that could be lost to Ala… Continue Reading
07.19.19
Benefits 360: Easing regulations on patient data comes with risks
by Scott Wooldridge
Patients should have unfettered access to their health data-right? Although many in the health care world would agree, a significant number of stakeholders are expressing concerns about the possibility that easing controls and regulations may result in data being exploited or misused. A recent move by the U.S. Health and Human Services Department (HHS) to give patients or consumers more control over their health care data has some health care experts worried that the government may be opening a… Continue Reading
07.19.19
KTVF: Senator Lisa Murkowski collaborates in bipartisan effort to help spur innovation
by Amanda Hanson
Murkowski, along with Senator Chris Van Holland (D-Md) and U-S Representative Bill Foster (D-Ill), recently introduced the 'National Fab Lab Network Act" legislation to expand Fab Labs across the country. These facilities are equipped with digitally-controlled tools that enable individuals to create and innovate new products. The tools range from laser cutters, to 3-D printers, to automated knives, and training is also provided. Alaska is home to the 'Cook Inlet Tribal Council Fab Lab' in Anc… Continue Reading
07.19.19
Alaska Public Media: Congressional delegation eyes federal funds at risk in state budget impasse
by Liz Ruskin
A pile of federal dollars on the line as legislators negotiate the state's capital budget and whether to restore some of the roughly $400 million Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed. "I am certainly one who has been encouraging everyone to come together. This is pretty high stakes for all of us in the state," Sen. Lisa Murkowski said this week. With the vetoes, the state will forfeit at least $22 million from the federal government. Some of the vetoes will cost the state more in federal dollars than the… Continue Reading
07.17.19
Utlity Drive: Sen. Murkowski teases prospects for storage as committee advances 22 energy bills
by Iulia Gheorghiu
Dive Brief: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday advanced 22 energy bills, ranging from nuclear power to energy efficiency and fossil fuel research, through largely bipartisan support. The bill markup did not include proposals for energy storage-related bills, despite a range of bipartisan legislation focused on research and development. The storage industry has been advocating for a technology-specific tax credit to enable further competition in the market and has no… Continue Reading
07.17.19
Anchorage Daily News: Alaska congressional delegation urges budget compromise to protect federal funding
by Alex DeMarban
Alaska's congressional delegation urged lawmakers and the governor to prioritize Alaskans and find a way through an unprecedented budget divide that threatens federal funding. In separate statements, the three members of the delegation said they're working to protect federal funds that are key to the Alaska economy. The state's lawmakers have yet to complete a capital budget amid a continued battle over Gov. Mike Dunleavy's $444 million in vetoes to the state operating budget. Alaska's senior… Continue Reading
07.16.19
Daily Energy Insider: Lawmakers launch energy initiative
by Douglas Clark
As part of an effort to expand the nation's global energy reach, a group of Senate lawmakers recently developed an energy initiative designed to nurture such an endeavor. The Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee recently conducted a hearing to unveil the Strategic Energy Initiative. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), chair of the LNG hearing, said that the initiative would provide a framework to strengthen the country's geopolitical posture. The tools include federal departments and agenci… Continue Reading
07.15.19
Water Finance and Management: COMMENTARY: Numbers, Numbers, Numbers
by Dan Buckley
As contractors, engineers and business owners, we deal with numbers every day. As I give you a recent summary of how our elected officials have been behaving, I ask you to remember a scene from a movie that is over 20 years old: Dr. Evil in "Austin Powers," demanding "$1 million…no, $100 billion!" It seems that Dr. Evil can't grasp decades-exponential inflation. And the funny thing is, our elected representatives seem to have the same issue, and we actually give them the job of managing… Continue Reading
07.15.19
KTUU: Geothermal development is heating up in Alaska
by Matt Leseman
Volcanoes along the Aleutian chain, hot springs in the interior and the Southeast. these are Alaska's three main geothermal resources. Lisa Murkowski has encouraged Alaskans to develop them. Gwen Holdmann, Director of the Alaska Center for Energy and Power says the main thing stopping development is the distance. "At the end of the day, if you're looking at economic development of these resources, you need to have some sort of a load within a reasonable distance to make it worth developing or s… Continue Reading
07.15.19
CoastAlaska: Forest Service chief makes quiet visit to Tongass National Forest
by Jacob Resneck
USDA Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen was hosted this past weekend in Southeast Alaska by U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). The trip gave Chief Christiansen a direct look at challenges and opportunities in the Tongass National Forest and an opportunity to hear from local stakeholders and tribal leaders about the need to build a strong, sustainable economy in the region. "I thank Chief Christiansen and her team for joining me in Southeast to see and experience our nation's largest natio… Continue Reading
07.09.19
Automotive Logisitics: Running out of juice – will demand for battery materials outstrip supply?
As OEMs accelerate their EV programmes, there is growing concern that demand for battery materials will outstrip supply. Gavin du Venage considers the risks Environmentalists hope that a transition to electric vehicles (EVs) will secure cleaner air in the near future and carmakers are putting increasing resources into electrification, but few people supporting the rise of EVs consider the viability of the raw material resources being fed into the lower end of this new type of automotive supply … Continue Reading
07.08.19
American Institute of Physics: The Week of July 8, 2019
Science Committee to Spotlight Disappearing Glaciers and Ice Sheets The House Science Committee has invited five scientists to testify at a hearing Thursday on the worldwide recession of glaciers and ice sheets. Alongside decreases in the seasonal coverage of sea ice, the retreat of permanent masses of land-based ice represents one of the most visible early effects of climatic warming. Melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet and the rapid deterioration of parts of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet are an… Continue Reading
07.08.19
SitNews: $53 Million Approved for Fishermen & Stakeholders Affected by 2016 Gulf of Alaska Pink
by Mary Kauffman
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced the approval of $53.8 million to restore losses for Alaska fisheries impacted by the 2016 Gulf of Alaska pink salmon fishery disaster. NOAA approved the funds Tuesday and transferred the funds to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, the agency tasked with distributing the relief payments to fishermen and their deckhands, processors, and for salmon research in the affected regions. "This funding has been a long-time … Continue Reading
07.07.19
Defense News: What will the US defense industry do when China cuts off rare earth supplies?
by Jeffery A. Green
On June 17, Chinese state-controlled media again threatened disruption of rare earth supplies to the United States - this time targeting U.S. defense contractors. The astonishing threat noted that "military equipment firms in the United States will likely have their supply of Chinese rare earths restricted" and follows calls just weeks ago to shut off rare earth supplies to the United States. The latest comments follow a meeting of China's state economic planner, the National Development and Re… Continue Reading
