Press Releases
Media Requests: Members of the media can contact the press office by emailing Joseph_Plesha@murkowski.senate.gov or by calling 206-302-8317 and asking for the press office.
Murkowski: Terrorism Should Prompt Renewed Focus on Energy Security
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today highlighted terrorism and instability throughout the Middle East, Africa, and other oil-producing regions as reasons for policymakers to focus on greater domestic energy production and greater energy security. Murkowski, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, made her comments Thursday morning during a hearing she convened to examine the intersection between terrorism and global oil markets. She also criticized a group of Se… Continue Reading
12.09.15
Murkowski: America’s Public Lands Should be Open Unless Closed
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today spoke on the Senate floor to highlight important legislation she has sponsored to provide millions of sportsmen and sportswomen with greater access to and new opportunities on public lands. Murkowski, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, urged her Senate colleagues to support her Sportsmen's Act (S. 556), which she shepherded through the committee in November. That measure, along with a measure (S. 659) being considered by the… Continue Reading
12.09.15
Murkowski: Energy Vital to National Security
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today highlighted three reports produced during the past year by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources majority staff on the growing volatility in Iraq, the rise of ISIS and its black market oil sales, and the relationship between global petroleum outages and instability. "Understanding what's happening when it comes to the links between terrorism and the sale of oil into the world market will inform our own policies as we seek to ensure that America and o… Continue Reading
12.08.15
Murkowski: National Park Centennial Opportunity to Ensure Sustainability for Next 100 Years
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today urged National Park Service (NPS) officials to look for innovative ways to fund the nation's park systems on the 100th anniversary of the agency and to take steps to meet the evolving needs of the next generation of visitors. Click picture to view video of Murkowski's opening statement. "The centennial offers us a chance to ensure the national park system's sustainability for the next 100 years. And it will take a serious effort to achieve that g… Continue Reading
12.07.15
Sen. Murkowski Highlights Alaska’s Leadership in Energy Innovation
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, this week highlighted the energy innovation occurring in some of Alaska's most isolated communities as local leaders seek to reduce the cost of electricity through a variety of cutting-edge technologies. Click here to view video of Thursday's event Speaking Thursday at an event hosted by The Hill newspaper on microgrids and innovation, Murkowski said that integrating a mix of local renewable resources - hydro and wind, chiefly - is a way for many Alaska co… Continue Reading
12.03.15
Murkowski Votes for Long-Term Highway Bill
Today U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski voted on the final version of the transportation funding agreement, the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, which passed by a vote of 83-16. The legislation provides funding for our nation's surface transportation needs over the next five years, from highways to ferries and railroads. Senator Murkowski was a member of the surface transportation conference committee to negotiate the differences between both the House of Representatives and the U.… Continue Reading
12.03.15
Murkowski on Senate Floor: “For Whom is the Affordable Care Act Affordable?”
As the Senate begins to take a series of votes to repeal key provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski spoke on the Senate floor to lay out how the ACA is drastically harming the people of Alaska. Senator Murkowski referred to specific examples from Alaskans, including families, small businesses, and school districts across the state, who have reached out to share the financial burdens the failed healthcare law is placing on them. In her speech, Murkowski outlined… Continue Reading
12.03.15
Federal Government Has Failed to Keep Promises Made in ANILCA
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today called for the federal government to live up to the promises made in the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), legislation that was signed into law 35 years ago that has helped protect many of Alaska's most treasured lands. Click photo to view video of Murkowski's opening statement. "The 35th anniversary of ANILCA is an opportunity to examine how the law has - and has not - worked for Alaskans and all Americans. This is also a per… Continue Reading
12.03.15
Chairman Murkowski: Democrats’ Wilderness Proposal Dead On Arrival
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today dismissed a new bill from a group of Senate Democrats to formally designate the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as permanent wilderness. "I will do everything in my power to make sure this misguided effort does not advance another inch after today," Murkowski said. "Once again Alaska is again being attacked by a group of senators who wish to impose President Obama's destructive agenda. Instead of recognizing that the surf… Continue Reading
11.25.15
Alaska WWII and Korean War Veteran Looks Back on 27 Years of Service
Today Senator Murkowski is releasing her 26th Veteran Spotlight interview, focusing on the military service of WWII and Korean War veteran Robert Grant of Anchorage. Grant was just 18 years old when he volunteered to join the U.S. Army where he served as a ball turret gunner for the Army Air Corps in the 486th Bombardment Group. After being stationed in England during WWII, flying over Germany, he later went on to be a radar observer in the 319th Fighter Squadron during the Korean War. His milit… Continue Reading
11.25.15
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Tammy Baldwin Introduce Bipartisan Digital Coast Act to Aid Shoreline Communities
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced bipartisan legislation, the Digital Coast Act, to help coastal communities better prepare for storms, cope with varying water levels, and strengthen coastal economic development planning efforts. "Digital Coast is a valuable tool that can be used by Alaskans across the state to aid in emergency preparedness for storms and coastal erosion, and private, public and commercial development projects. The data helps us to better … Continue Reading
11.24.15
Alaska Delegation Files Supreme Court Amicus Brief in Support of John Sturgeon Case
The three members of Alaska's congressional delegation today filed an amicus curiae brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of Alaskan John Sturgeon, who is suing the National Park Service over being forced off the Nation River for using a hovercraft to hunt moose, something that he had been doing for decades. The National Park Service claimed it controlled that stretch of the Nation River because it is part of the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. The State of Alaska claims it is the… Continue Reading
11.23.15
Murkowski Fights Back Against FDA’s Approval of GE Salmon
Today U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski announced the next steps she is taking to fight back against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) recent approval of genetically engineered (GE) fish for human consumption. Senator Murkowski has long been adamantly opposed to the approval of GE salmon, introducing legislation and inserting a provision in the appropriations process to require compulsory labeling of Frankenfish if ever approved for sale to consumers. Murkowski plans to push back against t… Continue Reading
11.19.15
Alaska Delegation Responds to FDA Approval of GE Salmon
After years of pushback from consumers, scientific experts and fishing interests, today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the first ever "approval for a genetically engineered animal intended for food, AquAdvantage Salmon." The Alaska Congressional Delegation, who has consistently fought to keep genetically engineered (GE) fish off the nation's dinner plates and away from our nation's oceans, today shared their disappointment in the FDA's ill-advised decision. "I am livid … Continue Reading
11.18.15
Murkowski Presses FDA Nominee on Seafood Issues
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski recently questioned Dr. Robert Califf in a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing regarding his nomination to be the next Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Murkowski began her line of questioning by pressing Dr. Califf to reconsider the FDA's refusal to use its regulatory authority to change the acceptable market name of pollock in order to avoid consumer confusion as to where the fish is harvested. Senator Murkow… Continue Reading
11.18.15
Sen. Murkowski Votes to Rein in Costly EPA Climate Regulations
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today voted to block the Obama administration from imposing costly new climate regulations on America's economy. Murkowski voted in favor of Senate Joint Resolution 23 and Senate Joint Resolution 24, which are both bipartisan resolutions of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to block the administration's so-called Clean Power Plan limits on carbon dioxide emissions from new and existing power plants. "The Obama administration has once again… Continue Reading
11.17.15
Murkowski Urges President to Immediately Institute Moratorium on Admitting Syrian Refugees to the United States
Today U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski issued the following statement in response to concerns over whether or not to allow Syrian refugees into the United States: "I urge the President to agree to an immediate moratorium on granting asylum to Syrian refugees. A moratorium is necessary for the Congress and the American people to better understand the adequacy of our existing refugee vetting process and whether meaningful additional steps need to be taken when considering the applications of Syrian re… Continue Reading
11.17.15
Murkowski: Administration at Fault for Second Oil Company’s Decision to Abandon Arctic
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today issued the following statement in response to the announcement by Norway's Statoil that it is ending its Alaska operations and giving back the leases in Alaska's Arctic offshore frontier that the company had won in 2008: "I am very concerned that, for the second time in as many months, a major company has decided to walk away from Alaska because of the uncertainty surrounding our federal government's support for Arctic development," Murkowski said. "Low… Continue Reading
11.14.15
Murkowski Statement on the Situation in Paris
Today U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski responded to the recent Paris attacks saying: "The attacks in Paris yesterday are an absolute travesty. Our hearts break for the families of the victims, the wounded still suffering today, and the entire nation of France. Today we grieve for the dead, pray for the wounded, and join the people of France in demanding justice in the wake of this atrocity. "These attacks are yet another tragic reminder of the continued dangers posed by radical Islamic terror group… Continue Reading
11.10.15
Murkowski: Alaska is the West Coast’s Energy Reserve
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today cautioned against making arbitrary sales of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to pay for unrelated legislative initiatives, and highlighted the potential benefits to the nation if the administration allowed Alaska to realize its true energy potential. Click photo to play video "Through thick and thin, those barrels in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve - rarely ever tapped - have offered a measure of security and stability that is … Continue Reading
