Articles & Op-eds
Contractor Mag: PMI Applauds Budget Bill Preserving WaterSense
Plumbing Manufacturers International (PMI) today applauded the Senate Appropriations Committee's approval of the fiscal year 2020 (FY20) budget bill for the Interior Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that preserves the EPA's WaterSense program and increases water infrastructure funding. PMI's CEO/Executive Director Kerry Stackpole thanked Interior/EPA Subcommittee Chair Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Ranking Member Tom Udall (D-N.M.) for advancing the bill. "PMI is gr… Continue Reading
10.01.19
KTUU: 23 Alaska veterans head to Washington for Last Frontier Honor Flight
by Grant Robinson
On Tuesday afternoon, 23 Alaska veterans departed Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport bound for Washington D.C. where they'll visit the memorials built to honor their service and the sacrifice of their fellow soldiers. Sen. Lisa Murkowski speaks with veterans before they depart to Washington D.C. on the Last Frontier Honor Flight on Oct. 1, 2019. The trip is the 13th Last Frontier Honor Flight. This trip's veterans served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Sen. Lisa Murkowski spoke w… Continue Reading
09.30.19
biosimilars: Bipartisan Bill Seeking to Curb Step Therapy Introduced in Senate
by Allison Inserro
Patient advocacy groups are pleased that a bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill this week that seeks to limit the use of step therapy. The Safe Step Act of 2019 (S. 2546) was introduced by Senators Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana; and Doug Jones, D-Alabama. The bill would amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act to require group health plans to provide an exception process for step therapy so that patients can access treatment without delays. Step therapy … Continue Reading
09.30.19
Market Tactic: Miners Eager For Electric Cars
by Abigale Lormen
United States Congress is yet to pass legislation regarding the steadily-growing electric vehicle industry and its supply chain activities. Miners and mining executives are keen on the idea of legislation streamlining the permitting of mines and funding of geological studies, among others, but the lawmakers haven't passed any regulation. The bills, as expected, would greatly help both the mining and electric vehicle industries. If signed into law, it would speed up the approval of mine permits,… Continue Reading
09.26.19
Washington Post: OPINION: Why I support Trump’s proposal to lift restrictions in the Tongass
by Senator Lisa Murkowski
Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, represents Alaska in the U.S. Senate and is chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. News that President Trump might seek to exempt Alaska's Tongass National Forest from the Clinton-era "roadless rule," opening up more of the region to potential development, has met with the typical alarm from the president's critics. So it's time to set the record straight and explain why every statewide elected official in Alaska supports an exemption from the … Continue Reading
09.25.19
Maritime Executive: U.S. House Approves Bill to Recognize Merchant Mariners of WWII
The U.S. House of Representatives has given unanimous approval to a bipartisan bill to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the merchant mariners of World War II. "Throughout the Second World War, our armed forces relied on the Merchant Marine to ferry supplies, cargo and personnel into both theaters of operation, and they paid a heavy price in service to their country," said Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA), the bill's sponsor. "The Merchant Marine suffered the highest per capita casualty rate in t… Continue Reading
09.25.19
Proactive Investor: American Battery Metals CEO Doug Cole says the US must do more to compete in the global critical minerals market
by Andrew Kessel
Lithium At a recent hearing of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, senators discussed China's domination of the market for lithium and other strategic metals American Battery Metals Corporation (OTCMKTS:ABML) CEO Doug Cole released comments Tuesday regarding a recent Senate hearing on critical minerals, expressing that the US can and must do more to compete on the global stage. At a hearing of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee on September 17, senators discussed China's domin… Continue Reading
09.25.19
Anchroage Daily News: Murkowski says Pebble mine shouldn’t be permitted unless data ‘gaps’ get explained
by Alex DeMarban
Sen. Lisa Murkowski last week expressed strong concerns about the permitting process for the Pebble copper and gold mine, saying at an event organized by a mine opponent that Pebble should not be permitted unless key questions are answered. The Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies have raised "justifiable" issues with the Army Corps of Engineers' 1,400-page draft review of the project's potential impacts, she said. "We have read what the EPA has said, and their very strong critic… Continue Reading
09.25.19
Alaska Public Media: ‘Concerning,’ ‘No comment’: Alaska senators respond to latest Trump controversy
by Liz Ruskin
The Ukraine phone call is testing Republicans anew on how closely they intend to cling to the president. Murkowski is often at the crux of moments like these, so a small mob of reporters swarmed her arrival at the Capitol Monday. One asked Murkowski if she finds it "concerning" that Trump, in the phone call, brought up investigating Biden and his son. "If he used undue - well, I don't know if undue influence is the correct term," Murkowski said. "But yes, that's very concerning." Murkowski al… Continue Reading
09.23.19
Consumer Affairs: Four senators ask for FDA ban of cartridge-based e-cigarettes
by Mark Huffman
The anti-vaping drumbeat is getting louder in Washington, as four members of the U.S. Senate have asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to immediately ban the most popular kind of e-cigarette products from the market. The senators -- Dick Durbin (D-IL), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) -- cite the mysterious lung ailments that have been linked to e-cigarette use. In a letter to Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Ned Sharpless, the lawmakers call for the … Continue Reading
09.20.19
Daily Energy Insider: Senate hearing explores how minerals foster clean energy technologies
by Dave Kovaleski
The U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing this week to examine the sourcing and use of minerals needed for clean energy technologies. "Minerals are the fundamental building blocks for any modern technology, but they don't just appear out of thin air," Committee Chair Sen Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said. "As our energy sector transitions to greater use of renewables, we must acknowledge that these technologies are built from materials that come from the ground. Batteries d… Continue Reading
09.19.19
Politico: Senate eyes e-cigarette crackdown
by Burgess Everett
The White House has its knives out for the e-cigarette industry - and so does Capitol Hill. Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) have penned a bill that largely tracks with President Donald Trump's crackdown on vaping, according to a draft obtained by POLITICO. The response from Congress comes amid health concerns over widespread use among teenagers of products such as e-cigarettes and vape oils that have been linked to deaths and illnesses in recent weeks. Merkley and Romney's… Continue Reading
09.18.19
Daily Energy Insider: Murkowski touts DOE secretary’s visit to Alaska
by Douglas Clark
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said the Department of Energy (DOE) Deputy Secretary's recent visit to Alaska provided an opportunity to see energy-related opportunities and challenges across the state. "This was a great opportunity for Dan to visit more of Alaska, to see firsthand how we contribute to our nation's energy security, and to learn about the innovation taking place throughout our state," Murkowski said regarding Deputy Secretary Dan Brouillette's visit. "I thank the Deputy Secretary fo… Continue Reading
09.18.19
KNOM: Sen. Murkowski Visits Brevig Mission, Teller, Wales; Hears Concerns About Housing & Sanitation
by Emily Hofstaedter
Senator Lisa Murkowski came through the Bering Strait region late last week, visiting three communities she has never been to before: Teller, Wales, and Brevig Mission. On her way back to Anchorage on Saturday, Murkowski told local leaders in Nome that her visits to rural Alaska help her communicate the region's unique needs with leaders in Washington. "In all honesty, I worry everyday about those very Alaska specific programs that we have… everything that is unique to us, I feel like I… Continue Reading
09.18.19
E&E News: Saudi attacks 'a teachable moment' — Murkowski
by Geof Koss and Jeremy Dillon
Senate Energy Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski is using this week's attacks on key Saudi Arabian oil processing facilities to try to tamp down congressional enthusiasm for tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to pay for non-energy purposes. During yesterday's closed-door GOP luncheon, the Alaskan Republican cited the Saudi attacks - which temporarily knocked about 5% of the world's daily oil production offline - to remind her colleagues and Vice President Mike Pence about the SPR's intended p… Continue Reading
09.18.19
Reuters: U.S. 'falling behind' in global race to develop electric vehicle supply chain
by Ernest Scheyder
The United States is losing the race to extract and refine minerals used to make electric vehicles and should do more to spur domestic production, a bipartisan group of senators said on Tuesday. The push comes as China has grown to dominate the market for lithium, rare earths, cobalt and other so-called strategic minerals used to make a plethora of consumer products, a dominance that politicians have said poses a strategic threat to the United States. The Senate's Energy and Natural Resources … Continue Reading
09.18.19
E&E News: Saudi attacks 'a teachable moment' — Murkowski
by Geof Koss and Jeremy Dillon
Senate Energy Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski is using this week's attacks on key Saudi Arabian oil processing facilities to try to tamp down congressional enthusiasm for tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to pay for non-energy purposes. During yesterday's closed-door GOP luncheon, the Alaskan Republican cited the Saudi attacks - which temporarily knocked about 5% of the world's daily oil production offline - to remind her colleagues and Vice President Mike Pence about the SPR's intended p… Continue Reading
09.13.19
KTVA: Feds: ANWR lease sale set for this year
by Steve Quinn
A lease sale to explore the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plan will take place before the year's end, a Bureau of Land Management director said on Wednesday. The announcement coincides with the Democratic-controlled House approving a measure that bans oil and gas drilling in ANWR while that morning. The lease sale is part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish two area-wide leasing, each not less than 400,000 acres. In a final … Continue Reading
09.13.19
KTVA: Murkowski supports, advances FY 2020 defense bill
by Bryan Dunagan
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski on Friday voiced approval and advanced the Defense Appropriations bill for the next fiscal year. Murkowski is a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. A release from from her office Friday morning states the bill features $1.7 billion in emergency funding for disaster relief, most notably for the effects of Hurricanes Florence and Michael. There are multiple initiatives for Alaska, including $960 million to pay for 59 F-35s, as well as 12 F-35As and pa… Continue Reading
09.12.19
Wall Street Journal: OPINION: Unlocking Arctic Energy Is Vital for Alaska—and America
by Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Don Young
This article is signed by Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan and Don Young. This week the House of Representatives is set to consider measures that would restrict America's future energy supply, including one that would block responsible development in northeast Alaska. As the state's congressional delegation, we are unified in strong opposition and believe passage would be a reckless strategic mistake. The bill in question comes from a California representative and targets the non-wilderness 1002 A… Continue Reading
