Articles & Op-eds
Military: Contract for New Coast Guard Icebreaker Could Be Awarded this Month
by Richard Sisk
The estimated cost of a new new Coast Guard icebreaker is significant, but the need is urgent given the state of the only heavy icebreaker currently in service, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz said last week. "This is going to be a world-class Polar icebreaker; high horsepower, the ability to drive through, you know, six, seven feet of ice at three knots continuous," Schultz said March 28 in testimony before the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on homeland security. Schultz said the… Continue Reading
03.31.19
World Nuclear News: Bill Gates 'thrilled' by legislative boost for nuclear
The Nuclear Energy Leadership Act (NELA), bipartisan draft legislation which aims to accelerate the development of advanced nuclear technologies and re-establish US leadership in nuclear energy has been re-introduced to the US Senate. NELA was submitted on 27 March by a group of 15 senators led by Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. It was previously introduced to the Senate in September 2018 and was one of several bipartisan bills supporting advanced nuclear innovation to be considered by the 11… Continue Reading
03.31.19
Jewish Journal: Republicans and Democrats Unite to Save the Planet, and No One Notices
by David Suissa
Media companies have become so driven by ratings and click bait they're having a hard time covering political news that don't involve partisan food fights- even when that news involves saving our planet. Take, for example, the news last week that a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators introduced legislation to support a potential breakthrough against global warming. Who noticed? I couldn't find anything in The New York Times or on CNN, but I did see a tweet from someone who cares deeply about the … Continue Reading
03.31.19
Anchorage Press: Murkowski teams up with AFN to support David Bernhardt for new Secretary of the Interior
by John Tetpon
It's going to be rough sledding for U.S. Secretary of the Interior nominee David Bernhardt when it gets down to the votes he'll need to be confirmed. Bernhardt has been acting secretary at Interior since the departure of Ryan Zinke, who served from 2017 until his resignation in 2019. Zinke resigned to avoid what he called unwarranted attacks on himself and his family after numerous investigations began and after a host of allegations of ethics violations surfaced. Bernhardt is not new to being… Continue Reading
03.28.19
Anchorage Daily News: Many wins for Alaska in bipartisan lands bill
by Lisa Murkowski
Earlier this month, I joined Republicans and Democrats from the House and Senate at the White House with President Trump for the signing of major lands and conservation legislation. The "John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act" is now law after years of effort. As Chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, I worked to combine more than 120 lands, resources, and water measures - including many that will help resolve long-standing issues for Alaskans. One o… Continue Reading
03.28.19
Daily Energy Insider: Alaska lawmakers support Arctic National Wildlife Refuge oil, gas development
by Dave Kovaleski
The congressional delegation from Alaska expressed their support for the oil and gas leasing program for the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is currently developing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the program. "We are pleased the Department is complying with its legal mandate to hold multiple lease sales and encourage you to continue to prioritize this program. We believe the Final EIS should maximize acreage ava… Continue Reading
03.28.19
KTUU: After proposed cuts to Special Olympics, Alaska's Congressional delegation voices support
by Grant Robinson
After the White House proposed a budget that would eliminate federal funding for Special Olympics programs in schools, members of Alaska's congressional delegation say they will continue to support the organization's mission. Unified Champion Schools is one of several program Special Olympics participants. More than 50 schools in Alaska participate in the program. "We have many different programs that serve seniors, that serve adults - this is the the one that serves our youth," Special Olympi… Continue Reading
03.27.19
Op-Ed: Sens. Murkowski And Cantwell: The Significance Of The Public Lands Package
by Senator Lisa Murkowski and Senator Maria Cantwell
This Op-Ed represents the opinions of Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), former ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Americans have a lot to celebrate in the sweeping public lands package the president signed into law this month. This landmark package includes more than 120 bills that will protect treasured landscapes, spur economic development, address a wide rang… Continue Reading
03.26.19
Must Read Alaska:No deal: Murkowski, Sullivan vote against ‘Green New Deal’
by Suzanne Downing
Murkowski, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and serves on the Appropriations Committee, spoke on the Senate floor in advance of the vote, turning her remarks toward the more practical, pragmatic steps Congress can take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Murkowski emphasized areas where Congress has made progress in supporting policies to reduce emissions: increased funding for the research and development of clean technologies, expanding the tax credit for carbon ca… Continue Reading
03.26.19
Anchorage Daily News: Supreme Court backs Alaska moose hunter over park service but steers clear of Katie John
by Zaz Hollander
An Alaska moose hunter whose case against the federal government made a rare second trip to the U.S. Supreme Court prevailed on Tuesday. The ruling marks a win for Alaskans unhappy with federal "overreach" on some public lands but doesn't topple rural subsistence rights as some feared it might. John Sturgeon sued the National Park Service after rangers on the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve in 2007 ordered him off the hovercraft he used for moose-hunting trips through the shallows of th… Continue Reading
03.19.19
Alaska Public Media: Green New Deal? Murkowski says no, opts for middle way on climate
by Liz Ruskin
Sen. Lisa Murkowski is talking about global warming more than ever these days. While the Green New Deal is a lightning rod in Congress, Murkowski says she's reaching for what's politically possible. Among the big goals included in the Green New Deal is to transition to energy sources with zero emissions, within a decade. Murkowski takes a more measured and less specific approach. "We propose that we focus on these technologies that will allow us to get us to a lower carbon economy reduce our e… Continue Reading
03.19.19
Ketchikan Daily News: Op-Ed: The Tongass and the Roadless Rule
by Chairman Lisa Murkowski
A few weeks ago, I spoke before the State Legislature and highlighted the congressional delegation's efforts to restore reasonable access to federal areas across Alaska. This is a longstanding fight, but increasingly critical for responsible resource development and the long-term prosperity of our state. Fortunately, after years of frustration, we are making real progress with the Trump administration. New development is taking place in our National Petroleum Reserve, the leasing program for … Continue Reading
03.18.19
NBC News Montana: Daines, Murkowski talk public lands in Bozeman
by McKayla Haack
Many outdoorsmen are still celebrating after President Donald Trump signed the Public Lands Package into law. The U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee Chairman, Lisa Murkowski and Senator Steve Daines discussed the recent legislation at the Wild Sheep Foundation in Bozeman Sunday. The president signed the bipartisan John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act last week. It was previously called Senate Bill 47 or the Public Lands Package and had been in the work… Continue Reading
03.18.19
KPAX: Work still to be done despite Land and Water Conservation Fund reauthorization
by Medeiros Babb
Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) has advocated very strongly for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), and with President Trump's signature, it has been reauthorized. Sen. Daines and US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) discussed the victory over the weekend, but the fight for funding isn't over just yet. "As I said when I passed it through the Senate, it did take public lands to bring a divided government together," Sen. Daines said of the measur… Continue Reading
03.16.19
E&E News: 'Frankenfish' is coming, but opponents vow to fight on
by Rob Hotakainen
If all goes as planned, a Massachusetts biotechnology company will soon begin importing salmon eggs from a Canadian hatchery to its plant in Indiana, where they'll grow into the first genetically modified salmon ever produced in the United States. AquaBounty Technologies Inc. won approval for its long-delayed plan last week, when federal regulators lifted an importation ban that had prohibited the eggs from entering the country. But opponents, who deride the new salmon as "Frankenfish," say th… Continue Reading
03.16.19
Daily Energy Insider: API supports government action regarding liquefied natural gas
by Douglas Clark
The American Petroleum Institute (API) is supporting a pair of recent actions boosting liquefied natural gas (LNG) initiatives. API officials are espousing the benefits of the Department of Energy's (DOE) non-Free Trade Agreement export authorization for Venture Global's Calcasieu Pass LNG export facility and the introduction of legislation designed to expedite Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) reviews of LNG terminals and other energy infrastructure. "This year is shaping up to be… Continue Reading
03.14.19
Indian Country Today: Yup’ik musher wins Iditarod! Pete Kaiser is first Yup’ik, fifth Alaska Native to win 998-mile race
by Richard Walker
Pete Kaiser became the first Yup'ik musher March 13 to win the Iditarod, North America's premier long-distance sled dog race. Kaiser and his dog team crossed the finish line in Nome, Alaska at 3:39:06 a.m. local time, completing the race in 9 days, 12 hours, 39 minutes, 6 seconds. His good friend, 2018 Iditarod champion Joar Leifseth Ulsom, finished 12 minutes 16 seconds later. Kaiser's win is the pinnacle of a remarkable 10-year mushing career that includes six top-10 Iditarod finishes, four … Continue Reading
03.14.19
Must Read Alaska: March 14th Alaska Native Vietnam vets will finally get their land allotments
by Suzanne Downing
TRUMP SPECIFICALLY CALLS OUT THIS ITEM IN MAJOR LANDS BILL SIGNING Legislation signed Tuesday by President Donald Trump will give 2,800 Alaska Native veterans - or their heirs, if the veterans are deceased - an opportunity to get the land allotments they were promised before serving in the Vietnam War. Watch Sen. Dan Sullivan talk about the Alaska Native veterans' land promise, how Sen. Ted Stevens and Congressman Don Young had fought hard for it, and why it's so important to him personally: … Continue Reading
03.14.19
SitNews: Senators Introduce Bill to Create New Twelfth Circuit Court
by Mary Kauffman
A bill that would split the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the largest of the regional courts, has been introduced by U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Steve Daines (R-MT), Martha McSally (R-AZ), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). The the Judicial Efficiency Improvement Act of 2019, would codify the Judicial Conference's most recent recommendations as well as other important measures to enhance the effectiveness of the federal judiciary. The legislation would authorize 56 permanent district cour… Continue Reading
03.14.19
Alaska Journal of Commerce: Genetically-engineered salmon cleared for US sales by FDA
by Annie Zak
The Food and Drug Administration last week cleared the way for genetically engineered salmon to be sold in the U.S. The agency on March 8 deactivated a 2016 import alert on such salmon, FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a statement. That ban restricted the sale of genetically engineered salmon in the U.S. until the agency issued labeling guidelines. The change has alarmed some in Alaska about what genetically engineered salmon on the market might mean for Alaska's salmon industry, which … Continue Reading