05.22.15

Murkowski Hosting Federal Roundtable on LNG Path Forward

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, will host a roundtable discussion in Anchorage on Thursday on the federal processes for permitting an Alaska liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project. The event will include a public discussion between senior energy officials from the relevant federal agencies about key federal permits, processes and opportunities related to an LNG export project in Alaska. Attendees will include Deputy Secretary of Ene… Continue Reading

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05.21.15

Murkowski Efforts Promote Alaska Ports, Harbors and Roads

Senator Lisa Murkowski today succeeded in leveraging her position on the Energy and Waters Appropriations Subcommittee to deliver resources in the 2016 funding bill that will initiate or maintain infrastructure projects in Alaska. The appropriations bill, which passed the full Senate Appropriations Committee today, will fund studies, research, port projects and energy innovations that will boost Alaska's economy. "Infrastructure is the circulatory system of our state, and it sustains our com… Continue Reading

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05.21.15

Murkowski: Military Construction, VA Approps Bill Spotlights Alaskan Prominence, Priorities

Senator Lisa Murkowski today voted for the 2016 Military Construction/Veterans Affairs appropriations bill as it successfully passed out of the full Appropriations Committee. The bill, which allocates federal resources to construction and upkeep efforts at military installations across the country as well as the nationwide VA system, contains a number of priorities advocated by Murkowski for Alaska in the subcommittee negotiations. "Alaska is the tip of the spear as we face troubling behavior… Continue Reading

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05.20.15

Murkowski Lauds Commerce Committee Passage of Anti-Pirate Fishing Bill

Senator Lisa Murkowski today commended the Senate Commerce Committee for unanimously passing the Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (IUU) Enforcement Act out of committee. The bill was introduced by Senator Murkowski Lisa and Senator Dan Sullivan last week to step up the crackdown of IUU fishing, and she had the following remarks afterwards: "I thank my Senate colleagues in the Commerce Committee for recognizing the importance of this legislation and expeditiously passing it out of … Continue Reading

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05.19.15

Murkowski, Cantwell Bill Authorizes Construction of Six Heavy Icebreakers

Senator Lisa Murkowski today introduced the bipartisan Icebreaker Recapitalization Act with Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) that would authorize the U.S. Navy to construct up to 6 heavy icebreakers. The new icebreakers would be designed and operated by the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard is the sole service responsible for icebreaking missions. "As an Arctic nation, America must be a global leader towards an Arctic future as this dynamic region opens up to new opportunities; by contrast, countries… Continue Reading

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05.19.15

Sen. Murkowski Highlights Alaska’s Diverse Energy Supplies

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today stressed the importance of developing Alaska's diverse energy resources - from traditional fossil fuel production to hydropower, biomass, ocean and river energy, wind, and other renewable resources - while ensuring that Alaskans share in the economic benefits of offshore oil and natural gas production. Click to view video "It is in our national interest to make energy abundant, affordable, clean, diverse and secure. Today's hearing - like the bill we… Continue Reading

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05.15.15

Murkowski, Sullivan Fighting Pirate Fishing

Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan have introduced legislation to combat the multi-billion dollar threat posed by illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities harming U.S. fisheries and fishermen's livelihoods. This legislation will increase enforcement capabilities for a number of international fishery agreements that combat IUU fishing, protecting Alaskan fisheries and fisheries across the entire United States. "Our bill is a critical next step toward implementing the IU… Continue Reading

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05.15.15

Murkowski, in Seattle, Stands Up for Arctic Development

Senator Lisa Murkowski today highlighted the close economic ties between Alaska and Puget Sound during a speech to the Alaska Business Forum at the Seattle Chamber of Commerce. The Seattle Chamber has estimated that Alaska contributes billions of dollars in economic activity and supports thousands of jobs in Washington's Puget Sound region. "When Alaska does well, so does Puget Sound. That's no secret, but it underscores why we should be rooting for each other and looking for places where we ca… Continue Reading

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05.15.15

Murkowski: Hmong “Stealth Heroes” Deserve Final Resting Place They Earned

Senator Lisa Murkowski introduced bipartisan legislation this week to honor America's dedicated Vietnam War-era allies: the Hmong Veterans' Service Recognition Act. The bill would allow members of the Hmong Special Guerilla Unit (SGU) who conducted support missions for American forces during Vietnam to be buried in national cemeteries. 6,000 Hmong-Americans - including a sizeable number living in Alaska - are veterans who put their lives on the line alongside Americans, and Murkowski has adv… Continue Reading

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05.14.15

Murkowski Touts UAF’s Leadership in Unmanned Aerial Systems

Senator Lisa Murkowski today congratulated the University of Alaska Fairbanks for being selected as a partner in the Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE) - a national coalition of universities pioneering unmanned aerial systems (UAS's). At a ceremony held in on Capitol Hill, Murkowski spoke of the "game changing" opportunities that UAS's present for Arctic research and development. Joined by UAF officials, Federal Aviation Administration head Michael Huerta an… Continue Reading

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05.13.15

Murkowski Rails Against New BLM Land Blocks in Alaska

Senator Lisa Murkowski today told the head of the Bureau of Land Management that Alaskans are "feeling burned" by his agency steadily withdrawing more and more land from Alaskans for potential development. The far-reaching impacts of the Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) designation - like the BLM proposing to block nearly 700,000 acres to mining within Interior Alaska's Fortymile District - and the recently-introduced Bering Sea-Western Interior Area Plan are in defiance of the "No… Continue Reading

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05.13.15

Young, Murkowski Propose Bicameral Legislation to Spur Future Development of Point Spencer

Alaskan Congressman Don Young and Senator Lisa Murkowski today introduced bicameral legislation to streamline future infrastructure development and potential uses of Point Spencer, Alaska by calling for the conveyance of approximately 2,500 acres of federal lands to local, state and federal stakeholders. The bill, the Point Spencer Land Conveyance Act, would establish a public-private partnership in an effort to bring timely development to Alaska's Seward Peninsula. Among stakeholders, the U.S.… Continue Reading

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05.13.15

Bipartisan Senate Coalition Introduces Bill to End Ban on Crude Oil Exports

U.S. Sens Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., along with 11 of their Senate colleagues today introduced the Energy Supply and Distribution Act of 2015 (S.1312). This bipartisan legislation would modernize federal energy policy by ending the outdated ban on crude oil exports. Murkowski and Heitkamp were joined by Sens. Hoeven, R-N.D., Barrasso, R-Wyo., McCain, R-Ariz., Corker, R-Tenn., Alexander, R-Tenn., Risch, R-Idaho, Flake, R-Ariz., Capito, R-W.Va., Inhofe, R-Okla., Rubio,… Continue Reading

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05.12.15

Murkowski Defending Alaska-Caught Pollock Against Inferior Russian Product

Senator Lisa Murkowski today reached out to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reasserting her push to change the legal market name of Alaska-caught pollock simply to "pollock." The change would allow Alaskan-caught pollock to be differentiated by region and better distinguish the fish harvested in Alaskan waters from inferior Russian pollock passing itself off as "Alaskan pollock" in stores nationwide. Currently, Russian-caught pollock is capitalizing on Alaska's world-famous reputation fo… Continue Reading

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05.12.15

Sen. Murkowski Introduces Bill to Increase Alaska’s Share of Offshore Oil and Natural Gas Revenues

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, took an aggressive step today to ensure that Alaska receives its fair share of revenue from oil and natural gas production on Alaska's outer continental shelf (OCS) by introducing the Alaska Outer Continental Shelf Lease Sale Act (S. 1278). "Alaska's natural resources are vital to our prosperity" Murkowski said. "With exploration proceeding in the Chukchi, and the Alaska offshore emerging as a key part of our national energy security, it is critical that we e… Continue Reading

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05.12.15

Murkowski: Mineral Security Must Be a National Priority

U.S. Sen Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, stressed the importance of strengthening our nation's mineral security at today's Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee's hearing on S. 883, the American Mineral Security Act of 2015. The legislation, authored by Murkowski, would revitalize the United States' minerals supply chain and help reduce our dependence on foreign suppliers. Click to view video "We have a real problem on our hands, as a result of our nation's borderline-insidious reliance on … Continue Reading

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05.12.15

Murkowski Co-Sponsors Bipartisan Effort to Fight Youth Suicide

Senator Lisa Murkowski joined her colleague Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) to introduce the Garrett Lee Smith Reauthorization Act in order to improve mental health services for young people and in turn, help prevent youth suicide. A recent study found that "suicide rates for young people are almost twice as high in rural areas" than cities, lending urgency to this bill's aims. "Suicide casts an enormous and dark shadow across our state, and we must do everything we can to fight it. This suicide epi… Continue Reading

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05.11.15

Murkowski Bill Aims to Protect Rural Subsistence Status from Federal Regulators

Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced the introduction of the Subsistence Access Management (SACSMAN) Act to undo the federal government's decision that determined the Alaska Native village of Saxman (population: 410) was 'urban' under their guidelines, a judgment deemed 'arbitrary and capricious' by the Organized Village of Saxman, since it barred residents from legal subsistence practices on federal lands and waters. The SACSMAN Act would also require Congressional approval before the fede… Continue Reading

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05.11.15

Chairman Murkowski Welcomes DOI Approval of Shell Exploration Plan

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today welcomed the Interior Department's conditional approval of Shell's Arctic exploration plan for this summer with the following statement: "Approval of Shell's exploration plan for Alaska's Chukchi Sea marks another important step toward the United States assuming a leadership role in the Arctic. With an estimated 25 percent of the world's undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources and active exploration by countries like Russia, it's critical that w… Continue Reading

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05.08.15

Murkowski Announces First Session of Summer Interns

Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced the names of her first session of summer interns who will work in her Washington, D.C. office beginning next month. Just weeks after graduating from high school, these young Alaskans will participate in the operations of her Senate office and get an up-close view of the legislative process. "These interns bring such a fresh perspective on various issues and great energy levels to my team. I truly enjoy having interns in my office, and my staff and I greatl… Continue Reading