Articles & Op-eds
Center Square: Alaska receiving $1 billion for broadband
by Kim Jarrett
(The Center Square) - Alaska is receiving $1 billion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act's Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, also known as BEAD. The money is part of a $42.5 billion distributed to the 50 states, five territories and the District of Columbia, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Commerce. "The BEAD allocation for Alaska will go a long way toward connecting unserved Alaskans with reliable, affordable, high-speed broadband," said Ch… Continue Reading
06.27.23
Seafood Source: Murkowski, Sullivan introduce bill to create “Wild USA Seafood” label for domestic-caught seafood
by By Chris Chase
Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both Republican U.S. senators from Alaska, have introduced a bill to establish a “Wild USA Seafood” label for all seafood caught in U.S. waters. The senators said the bill, the “Wild USA Seafood Act of 2023,” will help the U.S. domestic seafood industry promote its wild-caught seafood – including fish, crustaceans, and aquatic plants harvested in U.S. waters. “Alaska’s seafood is the best in the world – and I̵… Continue Reading
06.26.23
Frontiersman: Alaska to get $1.1 billion in new federal money for broadband infrastructure
by Tim Bradner
Alaska will receive $1,017 billion in new federal funding to build out broadband infrastructure connecting communities with high speed internet, the state’s U.S. Senators, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, announced Monday, June 26. The money is from the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment, or BEAD program, which is part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) passed by Congress two years ago. The funding comes from the IIJA’s Alaska BEAD allocation of $1,017,… Continue Reading
06.26.23
Anchorage Daily News: Officials, telecom industry say $1B federal investment will go a ‘heck of a long way’ toward closing Alaska’s digital divide
by Riley Rogerson
WASHINGTON — The White House announced more than $1 billion in new funding for Alaska broadband access Monday, money that officials say will play a significant role in bringing improved internet to rural Alaska communities. The investment is one piece of the $42 billion President Joe Biden announced will be distributed across the country. Alaska is one of 19 states to receive over $1 billion and received the top allocation per capita. Close to 200 Alaska communities do not have access to… Continue Reading
06.26.23
Fairbanks Daily News Miner: Another $1 billion for Alaska broadband internet announced
by Carter DeJong
Alaska will receive an additional $1.01 billion to fund high speed internet in the state. “One of my highest priorities when authoring and negotiating the bipartisan infrastructure law was sharing the unique circumstances Alaskans face with our infrastructure,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski said in a news release. The funding comes from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, passed in 2021. Earlier this month, Alaska received a $100.5 m… Continue Reading
06.23.23
Intrafish: Alaska lawmakers introduce bill to add new 'wild seafood' label to US-harvested products
by Rachel Sapin
On Thursday, Alaska Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan introduced the "Wild USA Seafood Act of 2023" to establish a Wild USA Seafood label to promote wild-harvested seafood caught in US waters. Language included in a draft version of the bill obtained by IntraFish said the measure would amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to establish a label designating fish "harvested in the United States exclusive economic zone or navigable waters as wild USA seafood, and for other purposes." … Continue Reading
06.22.23
Anchorage Daily News: Alaska delegation presses to close ‘loophole’ that allows seafood imports from Russia
by Riley Rogerson
WASHINGTON — Alaska Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan attempted to fast-track a bill to stop U.S. seafood imports from Russia that are being funneled through China, but was blocked Thursday on the Senate floor. Sullivan and the Alaska delegation proposed the U.S.-Russian Federation Seafood Reciprocity Act of 2023 to stop allowing the U.S. to import Russian-origin seafood that has been processed in China. The delegation argues that permitting such imports undercuts the efficacy of sanctions on … Continue Reading
06.21.23
Frontiersman: Matanuska Telephone Association receives $12.6 million grant to provide fiber optic service to Tyonek
by Tim Bradner
Matanuska Telecom Association has been awarded a $12.62 million federal broadband grant to build a fiber-optic link to Tyonek, according to Alaska’s two U.S. senators, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan. Households and schools in the community, mainly Alaska Native and with a population of 151 in the 2020 census, will benefit from high-speed internet. The investment will help MTA deploy 41 miles of fiber-to-the-premises (to homes) network to the Tyonek Alaska Native Village, bringing service… Continue Reading
06.21.23
Daily Energy Insider: Bipartisan group of senators sponsor bill to advance carbon removal technologies
by Dave Kovaleski
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced legislation to support the development of technologies that ensure cleaner air and environment. The Carbon Removal, Efficient Agencies, Technology Expertise (CREATE) Act seeks to do this by boosting the amount of research and development for carbon removal technologies that remove harmful greenhouse gas emissions from the air. “In order to advance carbon capture, utilization, and storage technologies, we need an informed effort from the fede… Continue Reading
06.20.23
Intra Fish: US lawmakers want to crack down on 'backdoor' Russian seafood imports
by Rachel Sapin
US lawmakers from Alaska are once again looking to ban the importation of all seafood from Russia into the United States by reintroducing the US-Russian Federation Seafood Reciprocity Act this month. Alaska Republican Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski introduced legislation on June 16 that would impose a comprehensive ban on the import of all Russian-origin seafood products into the United States. Companion legislation was introduced in the House by Representatives that is supported by A… Continue Reading
06.19.23
Fairbanks Daily News Miner: DoD implements free flight home program for service members in Alaska Haley Lehman
by Haley Lehman
The Department of Defense has implemented a free flight home program for Alaska service members. The program reimburses service members who are E-5 and below the cost of one flight to their home of record during a three-year tour in Alaska. The policy, effective immediately, covers soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division, the 1-25 Attack Battalion and the 1-52 General Support Aviation Battalion. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan introduced the Don Young Arctic Warrior Act in June 2022, wi… Continue Reading
06.15.23
Anchorage Daily News: Alaska Native tribes and groups call Indian Child Welfare Act ruling a win for tribal sovereignty
by Riley Rogerson
WASHINGTON — Alaska Native groups on Thursday celebrated the Supreme Court’s ruling upholding the Indian Child Welfare Act. The Indian Child Welfare Act gives preference to relatives and tribal families for foster care and adoption placements for Native children. The plaintiffs in the case, Haaland v. Brackeen, argued that placements under the 1978 law are based on race and violate the equal protection clause of the Constitution, while tribes argued the act should stand because they… Continue Reading
06.14.23
KTVF: Free Flight Home program for Alaska service members
by KTVF Staff Reporter
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - Many service members stationed in Alaska are now eligible for a free trip home. The Department of Defense (DoD) will now reimburse service members for the cost of one flight back to their home of record while they complete their three-year tour in Alaska. This is good news for all 11th Airborne Division soldiers stationed at Fort Wainwright. “It’s an expensive place to live day to day and if you’ve gone anywhere on the outside lately, you know that… Continue Reading
06.14.23
Fairbanks Daily News Miner: Sens. Sullivan and Murkowski author bill to create new Twelfth Circuit Court of Appeals
by Carter DeJong
U.S. Sens. Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski have authored a bill that would create a new Twelfth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals out of seven states currently part of the Ninth Circuit. “The Judicial Efficiency Improvement Act will help reduce the Ninth Circuit’s unmanageable caseload, which has resulted in years of backlogs, delays, and frustration. A new Twelfth Circuit will better serve Alaskans and other Western states,” Murkowski said in a release from her office. The Ninth… Continue Reading
06.09.23
KINY: Murkowski, Whitehouse introduce Don Young Veterans Advancing Conservation Act in honor of former congressman
by KINY
06.09.23
Ketchikan Daily: AK delegation proposes new Native corporations for 5 'landless' communities in SE
by Sam Stockbridge
Alaska's congressional delegation is reintroducing legislation that would allow each of the Alaska Native communities of Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Haines and Tenakee to form urban corporations and receive thousands of acres of federal land. The Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act, which Alaska Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan introduced in the Senate on Thursday, aims to correct the omission of the five communities from the 50-year-old A… Continue Reading
06.08.23
Boarding school commission bill passed by Committee of Indian Affairs, will go to Senate floor
by Shannon Cole
WASHINGTON, D.C. (KTUU) - A bill that will establish a commission to investigate, document and acknowledge the trauma and injustice of the Indian boarding school system has passed the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs with unanimous support and is headed to the Senate floor. The Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States Act, sponsored by 27 senators including Sen. Lisa Murkowski, was approved by the Committee of Indian Affairs on Wednesday. Murkowski… Continue Reading
06.08.23
Financial credit bill would put fishermen on equal footing with farmers
by Cordova Times
Legislation introduced by Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Angus King, I-Maine, aims to expand financial resources for rural fishing communities. It will allow businesses offering assistance to the fishing industry to access the same Farm Credit System loans available to farmers, ranchers and loggers. “The Fishing Industry Credit Enhancement Act, introduced on June 1, is a straightforward, common-sense amendment to the Farm Credit Act of 1971 ensuring businesses that support AlaskaR… Continue Reading
06.07.23
$11.8 Million in Brownfield Grants to Clean Contaminated Alaska Sites
by US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS
Four Alaska Native regional and village corporations are receiving brownfields funding from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the first time. The funds allow the corporations to address contaminated lands conveyed through the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Site Assessments and Cleanup Plans Altogether, Alaska communities are receiving $11.8 million through EPA’s Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grant programs and the Technical Assistance to … Continue Reading
06.06.23
Seafood Source: US bill would allow fishery-related business to access federal loan program
by Nathan Strout
Two U.S. senators have introduced legislation that would allow businesses in direct support of commercial fishing to access a federal agriculture loan program. Under The Fishing Industry Credit Enhancement Act, introduced by U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), businesses such as cold storage providers and gear suppliers would be allowed to use the Farm Credit System (FCS), a nationwide network of lenders and financial service providers. The program is c… Continue Reading
