07.03.13

Murkowski Urges NOAA to Extend Catch Share Plan Comment Period Beyond “Prime Fishing Season in Alaska”

WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Lisa Murkowski reached out to the Acting Administrator of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), advocating for a common-sense extension of the 45 day comment period on the Proposed Rule unveiled Friday for the Catch Share Plan (CSP) for Guided Sport and Commercial Fisheries in Alaska - a comment period that takes place entirely within one of the busiest times for Alaska's halibut fisherman. When NOAA released a proposed rule last Friday, it d… Continue Reading

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07.03.13

Senator Murkowski Celebrates Alaskan Patriotism on 4th of July

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today offered the following words in celebration of Independence Day. (Click image to watch video message) "This 4th of July, we celebrate the 237th anniversary of our nation's independence and honor the brave collection of thoughtful men who put their lives on the line to support a visionary idea, what many called 'The American Experiment.' Though we know the words by heart now, it was truly revolutionary to believe in the 18th Century that 'all me… Continue Reading

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07.03.13

Murkowski Unites POW's Family With Alaskan Who Honored Him For Decades Wearing Bracelet

ANCHORAGE, AK -This Independence Day 2013, a small narrow metal band has connected the Lower 48 family of a United States Air Force Missing in Action-Prisoner of War (MIA/POW) from the Vietnam War with an Alaskan woman who - despite never having met this pilot or spoken with - started wearing his commemorative bracelet during the war and thought of him and prayed for him for decades. Through the efforts of Senator Lisa Murkowski's staff, Virginia Spreen of Wasilla was able to track down the pil… Continue Reading

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07.03.13

Murkowski: Health Care Reform “‘Train Wreck’ is Going Off the Rails”

WASHINGTON, DC - As support for the Obama administration's health care reform bill continues to fall and just days after the one year anniversary of the Supreme Court decision dubbing the legislation a new tax on Americans, Senator Lisa Murkowski had the following response to the decision to postpone the 'employer mandate' a full year: "The announcement that the White House is pushing the 'pause button' for a year on its signature achievement comes as no surprise to me, given the looming expens… Continue Reading

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07.01.13

Murkowski Visits Kuskokwim River Fish Camps, Talks to Residents About Subsistence Fishing

WASHINGTON, DC - Fresh from her weekend trip to fish camps up and down the Kuskokwim River, Senator Lisa Murkowski committed to the Alaskans she spent time with that she would share the information she gathered with her colleagues in the United States Senate. While boating along the Kuskokwim, residents talked with her about salmon shortages, subsistence fishing regulations and enforcement, as well as the impacts of high gas prices on their food gathering. Sen. Murkowski traveled by riverboa… Continue Reading

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06.28.13

Murkowski Challenges Director of National Intelligence on Surveillance

WASHINGTON, DC - With law-abiding Alaskans and Americans facing the prospect of secret federal government surveillance programs collecting their phone logs and Internet records in 'bulk collections,' Senator Lisa Murkowski today peppered the Director of National Intelligence with questions in a letter she co-signed with 25 other Senators. Recent disclosures of the FBI/NSA programs have led Murkowski to reassert - as she has for a decade - her grave concern over the government's secret interpret… Continue Reading

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06.28.13

“You Think I Am Going to Die That Easy?”

WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Lisa Murkowski is releasing her 13th Veteran Spotlight installment today, featuring Wasilla resident Tyler Hall, a U.S. Army veteran who served as a combat engineer in Iraq, and in 2003 was the first Alaskan to be injured during Operation Iraqi Freedom. During his Veteran Spotlight interview, Hall recalls that generations of his family serving in the Army and the opportunity to travel around the world helped him decide to join on the delayed entry program right after he… Continue Reading

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06.27.13

Murkowski Efforts for Healthier School Foods to be Implemented Nationwide

WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Lisa Murkowski today applauded the United States Department of Agriculture for issuing the final rules of implementing her legislation providing healthier food and beverages inside schools nationwide, as it announced the "Smart Snacks in Schools" program that will take effect in the 2014-2015 school year. USDA's action was required by legislation Senator Murkowski sponsored and which was enacted as part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. "America's obesity problem ha… Continue Reading

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06.27.13

Murkowski Votes for Immigration Reform

WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Lisa Murkowski today joined 67 other Senators to cast her vote for S.744 the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill and shared the following statement afterwards: "I have always believed that immigration reform legislation should have teeth, heart and 21st century enhancements - and all three priorities have been reached through this bill. It's important for all of us to acknowledge that we have a broken immigration system that has resulted in 11 million undocumented ind… Continue Reading

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06.27.13

Murkowski Addresses Alaska Infrastructure Needs, Saves Money

WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Lisa Murkowski made sure that Alaska's road, port and energy priorities were reflected in the FY2014 Energy and Water Appropriations bill - while working with her E&W Appropriations Subcommittee colleagues to make sure the measure is $1.96 billion below last year's total - before it passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee today. Additionally, in an effort to find an 'offset' for the expenses these projects represent, Murkowski found $20 million within the … Continue Reading

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06.26.13

Murkowski Responds to Supreme Court Ruling

WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Lisa Murkowski today shared her thoughts about the Supreme Court deciding the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional: "I welcome today's Supreme Court decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act because the federal government should empower households, respect the decisions of states and otherwise get out of the way. This ruling represents victories for states' rights and equal treatment under the law." ###… Continue Reading

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06.25.13

Alaska Delegation Welcomes Disaster Declaration for Interior

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today the Alaska Congressional Delegation commended the Administration's response in issuing a major disaster declaration for the State of Alaska in areas of the Interior where Alaskans are still recovering from devastating damages caused by heavy spring floodwaters. The declaration comes only weeks after Senators Lisa Murkowski, Mark Begich and Congressman Don Young wrote in a letter to President Obama and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate t… Continue Reading

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06.25.13

Murkowski: U.S. Army Cuts Send “Mixed Signals” to Last Frontier

Washington, dc - Senator Lisa Murkowski today shared the following response to the United States Army decision to cut Fort Richardson manpower while adding troops to Fort Wainwright - resulting in 342 fewer U.S. Army soldiers in Alaska: "Alaska supports our men and women in uniform, as well as our veterans who have served valiantly in defense of our nation. Our connection to the military community is why our entire state stands ready to step up now that the Pentagon has declared the Asia-Pacif… Continue Reading

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06.25.13

Murkowski Votes For Commerce Nominee Penny Pritzker

Washington, dc - Senator Lisa Murkowski today voted for Penny Priztker, President Obama's Nominee to head the Department of Commerce, issuing the following statement afterwards: "When I recently met with Ms. Pritzker, I was pleased to hear a woman willing to engage on a number of key Alaskan concerns - from Arctic development and fisheries issues to the use of electronic monitoring for small boats and the impact of Stellar sea lion restrictions on commercial fishermen. "Ms. Pritzker gave me ad… Continue Reading

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06.25.13

Murkowski: Innovation Needed to Reverse Falling Timber Harvests

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today called on U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell to take immediate steps to reverse declining timber harvests and return the Tongass National Forest to a working forest. (Click video for Sen. Murkowski's opening statement) Murkowski, the ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, pressed Tidwell on the need to increase timber harvest in the Tongass to create jobs, stimulate local economies, and maintain the… Continue Reading

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06.25.13

Sen. Murkowski Comments on Administration’s Climate Plan

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today released the following statement in response to President Obama's speech on climate: "The central feature of the president's climate agenda is command-and-control regulations that will drive up energy costs for all Americans. This is exactly the opposite of what we should be seeking from our energy and environmental policies. "In the past several years, we've already seen substantial decreases in greenhouse gas emissions thanks to l… Continue Reading

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06.24.13

Murkowski “Separation of Powers” Legal Challenge to Get Supreme Court Hearing

WASHINGTON, DC - In what is being called "a major constitutional test of executive power," the United States Supreme Court today agreed to hear arguments on President Barack Obama's controversial recess appointments, an act requested last month by Senator Lisa Murkowski and her Republican Senate colleagues (attached). By appointing four different government officials to positions when the Senate was not in recess, the DC Court of Appeals ruled this practice "would demolish the checks and balanc… Continue Reading

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06.21.13

Sen. Murkowski Directs $50 Million for Cleanup of Abandoned Wells

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, this week won the support of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for legislation that would provide $50 million for the cleanup of abandoned federal oil wells on current and former National Petroleum Reserve lands. The energy panel on Tuesday approved the Helium Stewardship Act (S. 783), which is expected to generate $495 million over the next 10 years through the sale of crude helium from the Federal Helium Reserve. NPR-A Le… Continue Reading

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06.20.13

Murkowski Welcomes Renewable Energy Grants for Alaska Projects

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today announced the awarding of $178,000 in U.S. Forest Service grants for renewable energy projects to the Chilkoot Indian Association and the Ketchikan Gateway Borough. The Woody Biomass Utilization Grants encourages the clearing of dead trees and other potential forest fire fuel from national forest lands to create renewable energy for heating and electricity, and protect communities and critical infrastructure from wildfires. Under the… Continue Reading

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06.20.13

Murkowski’s Frankenfish Labeling Measure Passes Committee

WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Lisa Murkowski today won a major battle in the war over genetically modified salmon on Capitol Hill in the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee - as the amendment she introduced (attached) to mandating that 'Frankenfish' are labeled passed out of committee. Leading up to the vote, Appropriations Chair Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) asked Murkowski if she wanted a vote on her amendment (audio here), to which Alaska's senior Senator responded "I do if I'll win" to laughter and th… Continue Reading