Articles & Op-eds
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
03.13.19
KTUU: 'It's called compromise. It's called building a package that has some balance,' Sen. Murkowski on lands package
by Derek Minemyer
Sen. Lisa Murkowski is calling it a bi-partisan collaboration - members on both sides of the aisle joined the president as he signed the Natural Resources Management Act into law Tuesday. As chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Murkowski helped secure the legislation that she says will have big impacts on Alaska. This means Alaska's public federal lands are open for use, and that includes opening a right of way for a natural gas pipeline through Denali National Pa… Continue Reading
03.13.19
Anchorage Daily News: FDA decision on labeling allows genetically engineered salmon to be sold in US
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 Friday 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 h… Continue Reading
03.12.19
CNBC: Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal is not going over well at one of the year’s biggest energy gatherings
by Tom DiChristopher
Energy thought leaders are largely dismissing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal as unrealistic and politically divisive at the CERAWeek by IHS Markit conference. Climate talks at CERAWeek have largely focused on the kind of bottom-up, market-oriented solutions that Ocasio-Cortez dismisses as too conservative. The industry is highlighting its progress reducing its carbon footprint, but the International Energy Agency says companies need to do far more. One of the threads running t… Continue Reading
03.12.19
American Institute of Physics: Lawmakers Consider Ways to Supercharge Energy R&D
by Will Thomas
As congressional Republicans increasingly agree with their Democratic colleagues that action is needed to mitigate climate change, energy R&D policy has emerged as a focal point for bipartisan collaboration. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Ranking Member Joe Manchin (D-WV) have become particularly vocal about pursuing legislation to support energy innovation. In an article they published in the Washington Post on March 8, they cast innovation as … Continue Reading
03.12.19
Anchorage Daily News: Huge public lands bill signed into law will allow Alaska Native veterans to claim long-promised land, among other provisions
by Michelle Theriault Boots
A major bipartisan public lands bill signed into law by President Donald Trump on Tuesday includes several Alaska-specific provisions that will impact everything from the routing of a potential gas line to the way Alaska pays for the operation and maintenance of state parks. But among the most significant, Alaska's senators agree, is a provision that would pave the way for 2,800 Alaska Native veterans to claim promised land allotments they missed out on while serving in the Vietnam War, ending … Continue Reading
03.12.19
S&P Global: CERAWeek: Murkowski pushes for more oil, gas options offshore Alaska
by Brian Scheid
US Senator Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, said it is unclear if there is commercial interest in drilling in US Arctic waters, but said regulators should keep the option open for producers. "You don't know until you have the opportunity to put the lease sales out there," Murkowski told reporters at CERAWeek by IHS Markit in Houston Monday. "We need to set the table for participation." Analysts and lobbyists claim there is limited interest in US offshore oil and gas production, outside th… Continue Reading
03.12.19
The Daily Caller: Manchin, Murkowski United In Opposition To The Green New Deal
The top lawmakers on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources were unified in their opposition to the Green New Deal and unreadiness to back taxes on carbon dioxide emissions. "There's no such thing as a new green deal," West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin said during a Monday night panel at an international energy conference in Houston. "There's a resolution that has a dream, but there's no bill, there's no contents at all." Manchin, a Democrat, appeared alongside Alaska Sen. Lisa Murk… Continue Reading
03.12.19
The State: More than one-third of US volcanoes are under-monitored. Congress is noticing
by Julianna Rennie
Of the United States' 161 active volcanoes, 57 are under-monitored, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, creating blind spots that pose a huge potential threat to public safety. In 2009, Washington allocated funds to improve the monitoring systems, but the money quickly ran out, and recent spending initiatives never went anywhere. Dr. Seth Moran is the lead scientist at the Cascades Volcano Observatory, which monitors volcanic activity in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. A properly monitore… Continue Reading
03.12.19
E&E News: Murkowski, Manchin break with colleagues on Green New Deal
by Mike Lee, Jenny Mandel, and Edward Klump
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and ranking member Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) delivered a message of unity on climate change here yesterday. But their remarks at CERAWeek by IHS Markit meant sometimes contradicting party colleagues and leaders back in Washington, D.C. Addressing an audience of several thousand people at one of the biggest oil and gas conferences in the country, the political moderates said they could find common ground. "There's no such thin… Continue Reading
03.10.19
SitNews: FDA’s Decision Allows GE Salmon to Enter U.S.
by Mary Kauffman
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. announced Friday the FDA is deactivating a 2016 import alert that prevented GE salmon from entering the U.S. In a prepared statement Gottlieb wrote, the FDA's approval of the application related to AquAdvantage Salmon followed a comprehensive analysis of the scientific evidence, which determined that the GE Atlantic salmon met the statutory requirements for safety and effectiveness under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. In response to the FDA deact… Continue Reading
03.10.19
Juneau Empire: Opinion: Congress needs more members like Sen. Murkowski
by Rich Moniak
Sen. Lisa Murkowski is once again getting national attention for breaking ranks with the Republican Party. This time it's over President Donald Trump's emergency declaration over the southern border. For having "the strength to announce opposition" to it, Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank listed her as one of the few survivors of the critically endangered species of "Principled Republicans." I'd expand that to include principled Democrats. And argue we've reached this point because the bas… Continue Reading
03.09.19
Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Female leadership key to breaking public land logjam
by Becky Edwards
Two weeks ago, sweeping bipartisan public lands legislation defied the odds by sailing through Congress with overwhelming support in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Now it is on to the White House for the president's signature. In the current highly partisan atmosphere in Washington D.C., this kind of bipartisan action is truly remarkable. We can thank two women for it. In Montana, we are big winners in the passage of this legislation, now named the John D. Dingell Jr. Conser… Continue Reading
03.08.19
KTVA: Murkowski helps introduce resolution honoring indigenous women
by Jeff Bridges
March is Women's History Month, and U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski is helping to introduce a resolution honoring indigenous women. The resolution, co-sponsored by New Mexico U.S. Senator Tom Udall, honors the heritage, culture, and successes of Alaska Native, American Indian, and Native Hawaiian women and how they've help shaped the nation. "The influence of women like Elizabeth Peratrovich who fought for civil rights and against widespread discrimination against Alaska Natives was truly monumental,… Continue Reading
03.08.19
KTVA: Surge in women lawmakers puts Alaska ahead of national curve
by Steve Quinn
As Alaska marks International Women's Day, more than a third of its state lawmakers are women after voters sent more than half a dozen to the state Capitol in last year's election alone. State Sen. Mia Costello got a surprise earlier this week. With more than 50 days elapsed in the current legislative session, the Anchorage Republican learned she is the first woman to serve as the Senate majority leader since statehood. What she already knew was that she's among a record 23 women serving in the… Continue Reading
03.08.19
Must Read Alaska: Murkowski teams up with Kamala Harris on workplace harassment bill
by Suzanne Downing
On International Women's Day, U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Kamala Harris (D-CA) announced they have reintroduced legislation to address the ongoing issue of workplace harassment and reduce barriers that prevent victims from speaking out and seeking justice. The Ending the Monopoly of Power Over Workplace Harassment through Education and Reporting (EMPOWER) Act arms individuals with the resources they need to address workplace harassment, according to Murkowski's office. Sen. Kamala H… Continue Reading
