Articles & Op-eds
Alaska Journal of Commerce: Court fight over King Cove road enters third round
by Elwood Brehmer
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, holds up a copy of a news paper with a note from President Donald Trump during an event in her office in Washington on Jan. 22, 2018. Murkowski was joined by other Alaskan officials regarding the Interior Department's decision to the construction of a road through a national wildlife refuge in Alaska.The road would connect the communities of King Cove and Cold Bay, which has an all-weather airport needed for emergency medical flights. A lawsuit subsequently led to … Continue Reading
08.07.19
Bloomberg: Power and Tech Giants Fight Over Airwaves Space in the U.S.
by Millicent Dent and Stephen Cunningham
As tropical storm Barry roared ashore in Louisiana last month, Entergy Corp. monitored the electric grid using airwaves that have long been reserved for utilities and first responders. Those secure, wireless signals helped the company manage outages, even while winds of up to 65 miles (105 kilometers) per hour lashed the region. But as the world becomes increasingly wireless, U.S. regulators plan to open more of those airwaves to tech companies. The move pits two of the most powerful U.S. indu… Continue Reading
08.07.19
Kodiak Daily Mirror: Sen. Murkowski introduces bill to improve access to loan guarantee program to finance local energy infrastructure
by Kevin Randolph
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced Monday legislation to improve access to the Department of Energy's (DOE) Section 1703 loan guarantee program to help states secure financing for projects that will reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. The bill would make certain state financing entities fully eligible for Section 1703 program. Murkowski included the text of the legislation in energy bills in the 114th and 115th Congresses. "Right now, the Department's loan guarantee program i… Continue Reading
08.06.19
Utlity Dive: Bipartisan Senate support for nuclear grows with $7.5B bill to extend life of current fleet
by Catherine Morehouse
Dive Brief: A bipartisan group of senators on Thursday introduced a bill that aims to extend the life of the United States' current nuclear fleet. Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del., and Martha McSally, R-Ariz., introduced the Nuclear Energy Renewal Act, which would authorize $755 million per year from 2019 to 2029 to "enhance the economic viability of the current U.S. nuclear fleet." Three other nuclear bills have advanced in the past three legislative sessions. Two passed the Senate and one more, … Continue Reading
08.06.19
Daily Energy Insider: Sens. Cassidy, Murkowski lead senators in introducing bill to strengthen offshore energy revenue sharing
by Kevin Randolph
Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) recently led a group of senators in introducing legislation that would strengthen offshore energy revenue sharing. The bill, the Conservation of America's Shoreline Terrain and Aquatic Life (COASTAL) Act, would strengthen the offshore energy revenue sharing program under the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) and create a new revenue sharing program for future offshore energy production in Alaska. Sens. John Kennedy (R-LA), Dan Sulliv… Continue Reading
08.06.19
KTVF: Murkowski talks Alaskan current events while visiting Fairbanks
by Sara Tewksbury
While in Fairbanks, Senator Lisa Murkowski visited the Tanana Valley State Fair and gave an update on her current travels and work in Washington D.C. She says September will be a busy month as they work to advance all of their appropriations bills. "As the chairman of the Interior Appropriations subcommittee, we'll be working on those accounts that relate to the Department of Interior, the EPA, the IHS, the BIA, so we've got a lot of work to do in front of us," said Murkowski. Before she goes … Continue Reading
08.05.19
Juneau Empire: Murkowski, Sullivan urge action on mine cleanup
by Peter Segall
Alaska's Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both Republicans, on Monday hosted a number of state and federal agencies, local organizations and commissioners of the U.S.-Canada International Joint Commission for a round-table discussion of transboundary mining. Among the organizations present were the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, Salmon Beyond Borders, Council of Alaska Producers, Alaska Miners Association and United Fishermen of Alaska. Government organi… Continue Reading
08.05.19
Kodiak Daily Mirror: Sen. Murkowski stresses importance Coast Guard in defending the Arctic
by Iris Samuels
Sen. Murkowski stresses importance Coast Guard in defending the Arctic In an April visit to Coast Guard Base Kodiak and Air Station Kodiak, Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-AK, discussed funding for two new Offshore Patrol Cutters, which will be homeported in Kodiak. The move is part of her ongoing effort to secure funding to bolster the Coast Guard capabilities in Alaska. In a July 23 interview with the Kodiak Daily Mirror, Murkowski highlighted the growing importance of the Coast Guard's role in de… Continue Reading
08.05.19
Nevada Independent: Nevada's veto power a sticking point in congressional negotiations on Yucca Mountain
by Humberto Sanchez
House proponents of storing nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain are unwilling to negotiate with members of the state's congressional delegation over whether to give the state veto power over building the repository. But key members of the Senate, led by Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski, who are frustrated with the lack of progress on the long-delayed project, are working with Nevada's senators to pass nuclear waste legislation that would include a consent provision for the state. California Democr… Continue Reading
08.05.19
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
