03.15.13

Murkowski Bringing Tribes, State, Feds Together to Improve Rural Justice

WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Lisa Murkowski today reached out to Alaska's tribal leaders with the outlines of a proposal - years in the making- that would create a collaborative framework to solve the public safety crisis in rural Alaska. The Senator's Rural Public Safety Initiative is an attempt to bring Alaska Native tribes and the State of Alaska together to increase the public safety presence and authority in some of the most remote communities in Alaska. "We face a crisis of public safety in … Continue Reading

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03.14.13

Postmaster General to Murkowski: USPS Always a Defender of Bypass Mail

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Lisa Murkowski had a face-to-face meeting with United States Postal Service Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe and used the opportunity to get answers to questions Alaskans have asked about the future of bypass mail and the Alaskan impacts of the post office's decision to end Saturday envelope delivery. Bypass Mail: After Murkowski defended Alaska's bypass mail delivery service from potentially damaging proposals last year, she and Postmaster General Donahoe shared the… Continue Reading

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03.14.13

Murkowski Passes Legislation to Improve Energy Access in Denali

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today applauded the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for passing by unanimous consent the Denali Park Improvement bill, which includes three separate measures to decrease the use of diesel fuel and improve energy access in Denali, as well as honor Athabascan climber Walter Harper. The bill was passed as part of a package of public lands bills approved by the committee Thursday morning. A land exchange for the Kantishna Hills micro-hydroe… Continue Reading

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03.13.13

Alaska Delegation Introduces Maritime Lien Reform Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Alaska delegation today renewed their commitment to protecting Alaskan commercial fishermen by introducing the Maritime Lien Reform Act of 2013. This legislation would prohibit maritime liens from being imposed on commercial fishing permits, while protecting the rights of fishermen as they continue to engage in the commercial industry in order to provide for their families. "The Maritime Lien Reform Act is a serious way to ensure fisherman from across my state and the cou… Continue Reading

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03.13.13

Senators Introduce Capitol Construction Fund Reforms for Fishermen

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senators Lisa Murkowski, Mark Begich, Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Patty Murray, D-Wash., Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., today introduced bipartisan legislation to allow commercial fisherman - in Alaska, Oregon, Washington and nationwide - to use their Capital Construction Fund (CCF) savings without incurring significant tax penalties. "Millions of dollars have been invested wisely through the Capital Construction Fund to make our nation's fishery fleet more robust… Continue Reading

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03.13.13

Murkowski Congratulates Mitch Seavey on Historic Iditarod Win

WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Lisa Murkowski today congratulated Mitch Seavey and his team on winning the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. Crossing the Burled Arch at 10:39pm Alaska Time, Mitch Seavey became the oldest champion in race history, at age 53. This is his second Iditarod win. "Mitch Seavey and his family continue to write new chapters in the Iditarod story. Today's historic win makes him the oldest winner of the Last Great Race -- just a year after his son Dallas became the youngest champion … Continue Reading

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03.12.13

Murkowski Announces “Serving Soldiers” Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced her co-sponsorship of three pieces of legislation to give back to the military men and women who have given of themselves through service on American soil or combat in areas of conflict. "For all the heroics, there are scars that many veterans wear - whether physical or mental - that deserve our respect and attention," said Murkowski. "Alaska has over 70,000 veterans, and the honors that have been bestowed upon them must not be devalued… Continue Reading

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03.11.13

Murkowski Fights for Native Health Hiring Resources

WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Lisa Murkowski successfully ensured that language to have the Indian Health Service (I.H.S.) deliver the resources it previously pledged to staff Alaska Native and other tribal health facilities around the country was included in the Senate's Fiscal Year 2013 funding bill filed today to run federal operations through September. "I am the first to tell Alaskans that we need to prioritize our funding and cut where we can, to give our nation a promising, prosperous future… Continue Reading

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03.11.13

Murkowski: “We Are All Connected” on Tsunami Damage, Efforts

WASHINGTON, D.C. - On the two year anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Senator Lisa Murkowski spoke on the Senate floor to remind her colleagues and the nation of the long road ahead to rebuilding that country, the increasing risks and threats along the Pacific Coast posed by marine debris - and that this disaster has created a more intense bond between the Japanese people and Alaskans. Murkowski also made the case again for an interagency task force to be formed, fo… Continue Reading

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03.08.13

Murkowski to Pentagon: Honor Combat Over Drones

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski reached out to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel today and asked him to rethink the status level attached to the new "Distinguished Warfare Medal." The new award places the service provided by military men and women who pilot unmanned aerial vehicles in a higher status than that of men and women under fire - including the Purple Heart, bestowed upon those veterans who have been injured or killed in combat. Senator Murkowski and 22 of her Senate colleagues a… Continue Reading

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03.07.13

Murkowski Pushes Interior Nominee Jewell to Restore Balance

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski questioned the nominee to be the next Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell, about her commitment to return much-needed balance to the various missions of the Department of the Interior - including responsible energy development. In her opening comments, Murkowski told the candidate and REI President, "We need you to affirm that public lands provide not just a playground for recreational enthusiasts, but also paychecks for countless energy producers, … Continue Reading

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03.06.13

Murkowski to Question Interior Nominee on King Cove, Alaskan Concerns

WASHINGTON, D.C. - After weeks of publicly raising Alaskans' concerns toward the Interior Department's agenda and decision-making, Senator Lisa Murkowski will have the opportunity to ask questions directly of Interior Secretary nominee Sally Jewell tomorrow morning. Murkowski is expected to drill down on the recent King Cove road access decision - along with a number of other Alaskan-focused federal land use concerns - in her capacity as the top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resou… Continue Reading

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03.05.13

Senator Murkowski’s Ocean Policy Fight to be Honored

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski will be honored tomorrow for her continued work and dedication in responsible ocean policy and science advocacy - receiving the Admiral James D. Watkins Congressional Leadership Award at the Consortium for Ocean Leadership's 2013 policy forum. As the Republican co-founder of the U.S. Senate Oceans Caucus and Ranking Member on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Senator Murkowski has served a critical role championing oceans and Arctic pol… Continue Reading

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03.04.13

Murkowski Responds to Energy, EPA Nominations

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today released the following statement in response to President Obama's nomination of Regina McCarthy to be the next administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and Ernest Moniz to be the next Secretary of Energy: "I will withhold judgment until I've had a chance to speak to the nominees directly, but my main concern is that both agencies take immediate steps to restore balance to our nation's energy and environmental policies. That balance has… Continue Reading

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03.01.13

Murkowski Visits State-of-the-Art Alternative Energy Brewery

JUNEAU- While in Juneau last week to deliver her annual speech to the Alaska Legislature, Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, toured the Alaskan Brewing Company's innovative recycling system in action. The company uses waste grain from the brewing process as biomass to generate steam energy and make more beer. Senator Murkowski tours the Alaskan Brewing Company in Juneau, Alaska (CLICK IMAGE for a video of the tour and explanation of the spent-grain biomass boiler process) The "Beer Powered Beer… Continue Reading

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03.01.13

Murkowski: “Case Closed” on the Eielson Closing Argument

WASHINGTON, DC - As the time closed for comments to be submitted from Alaskans, Senator Lisa Murkowski today delivered a stinging and comprehensive refutation of the flawed United States Air Force proposal to transfer the F-16 Aggressor squadron from Eielson Air Force Base to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson - in addition to the comments received directly from Alaskans through her "Eielson Closing Argument" online initiative she created before the U.S. Air Force allowed comments to be sent via th… Continue Reading

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02.28.13

Delegation Pushes USAF to Transfer German-Based F-16s to Eielson

WASHINGTON, DC - On the eve of the final day of the United States Air Force's comment period regarding its proposal to move the F-16 Aggressor Squadron from Eielson Air Force Base to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska's Congressional Delegation today made their final argument for making Eielson AFB more robust, not less, as the Pentagon shifts its focus to the nearby Asia Pacific region - supporting Governor Sean Parnell's suggestion earlier this month. In a letter to Air Force Secretary M… Continue Reading

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02.28.13

Murkowski Supports Common Sense Flexibility on Sequestration

WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Lisa Murkowski today voted in favor of a move to give the administration flexibility in how $85 billion of sequestration budget cuts are made in 2013 - in what will be a ten year process - and against a permanent tax hike to avoid spending cuts in the near term. She provided the following statement after the votes: "The Administration has said they do not have the flexibility to make the truly painful cuts, and former Defense Secretary Panetta said last week that he wi… Continue Reading

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02.28.13

Murkowski Hails House Passage of Senate Violence Against Women Act

WASHINGTON, DC - Within days of Senator Lisa Murkowski sending a letter to Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) urging him to allow a vote on the Senate version of the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization bill, the House of Representatives today passed the Senate version, 286-138. Today marks the culmination of a lengthy bipartisan advocacy campaign by Murkowski dating back to the previous session of Congress, and her work has been acknowledged by the AWAIC shelter in Anchorage and th… Continue Reading

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02.27.13

Murkowski: Legacy Wells Are Pinnacle of Negligence and Hypocrisy

WASHINGTON, D.C. -Senator Lisa Murkowski today testified via teleconference at an Alaska State House Resources Committee hearing on House Joint Resolution 6, the Legacy Well Remediation Resolution. She was invited to participate by Alaska State Representative Charisse Millett, R-Anchorage. "The situation in the NRPA represents the pinnacle of environmental negligence and hypocrisy. This is the same federal government and Department of Interior who - as they should - have held private industry … Continue Reading