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: Excuses to Block ANWR Have Officially Expired
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today spoke to Fox Business News about the 10-year anniversary of the Senate vote that blocked the opening of ANWR. The excuse cited by most of those who opposed drilling in the ANWR coastal plain was that it would take 10 years to get the oil to market. "When we talk about what we can do as a nation to increase our domestic production, we need to look north," Murkowski said. "If we had opened up ANWR in 1995, when Congress passed it and C… Continue Reading
04.18.12
6 Alaska Projects, 600 Nationwide Face Delay After "Absurd" Restroom Ruling
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Lisa Murkowski today questioned U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell about a recent 9th Circuit Court decision requiring environmental reviews for even the smallest projects, including the renovation of bathrooms at a Texas campground. Murkowski pointed out this additional and unnecessary legal hurdle could add months to projects like the Niblack and Greens Creek Mine. "This will mean that simple routine tasks that have no environmental impact will be subject to full n… Continue Reading
04.17.12
Murkowski’s Committee Work Advances Alaska Fisheries, Safety Needs
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Murkowski secured provisions in the FY2013 Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) bill that will result in resources for Alaska through her position on the Senate CJS Appropriations Subcommittee. The provisions secured by Murkowski cover the concerns of Alaskans from safe, sound fisheries to protecting Alaska's most vulnerable populations statewide - whether from crime or tsunamis. The bill passed out of subcommittee today and heads to the full Senate Appropriations Co… Continue Reading
04.17.12
Murkowski, Landrieu Call for U.S. Energy Policy that Increases Offshore Safety while Providing for Equitable Revenue Sharing & Economic Security
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Mary Landrieu, D-Louisiana, today issued the following comments in response to a report by President Obama's National Oil Spill Commission that criticized Congress' failure to pass legislation improving the regulation and safety of offshore drilling in the two years since the Deepwater Horizon accident in the Gulf of Mexico: "We understand some of the commission's frustrations with Congress, and share its desire to ensure safe and res… Continue Reading
04.17.12
Murkowski: Tax Day Demonstrates Urgent Need for Reform
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Murkowski issued the following statement today on the deadline for Alaskans and Americans to file their tax returns: "As Alaskans finish up their tax returns online or in the mail - through a maze of paperwork that wear us out - we realize on this day above all else the need for comprehensive tax reform. "As I told Alaskans statewide in my economic town halls last fall, we need bipartisan, comprehensive tax reform that simplified our current system by cutting through… Continue Reading
04.16.12
Murkowski Casts Vote Against Buffett Rule
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today voted against taking up the "Buffett Tax" bill and shared the following statement after her vote: "It's extremely frustrating that as most Americans struggle to fill up their gas tank, heat their home or find work, they see the U.S. Senate taking a vote that does nothing to address those priorities. "America needs to come to grips with our fiscal situation, but through comprehensive, bipartisan tax reform - the same approach recommended by the … Continue Reading
04.13.12
Senator Murkowski Statement on Kodiak Shooting, Victims
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today had the following statement in response to the United States Coast Guard naming the victims slain in yesterday's shooting at a communications station in Kodiak. "My thoughts, concerns and prayers are with the Belisle and Hopkins families - as well as the entire Kodiak community - as the Alaskans there cope with the shock of the shooting of two Coast Guard members. Alaska's resilient and resourceful guardians are deeply committed to our state, our … Continue Reading
03.30.12
Murkowski Welcomes Approval of Air Permits for Shell’s Kulluk Drillship
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today released the following statement regarding a decision by the Environmental Protection Agency's internal appeals board confirming the validity of air-quality permits for Shell's Kulluk drillship to explore Alaska's Arctic waters this summer. "Today's decision by the EPA's appeals board brings us closer than we've ever been to proving up the vast storehouse of oil and gas off Alaska's northern coastline," Murkowski said. "While ther… Continue Reading
03.30.12
Murkowski: Agreement Represents Step Forward on Gas Line
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today released the following statement in response to the announcement that the major North Slope producers and the TransCanada Pipeline Co. have agreed to pursue a single pipeline project: "It's encouraging that the major leaseholders are once again talking about a single pipeline project to commercialize Alaska's North Slope natural gas. This is the first time in many, many years that there's been alignment among the leaseholders, TransC… Continue Reading
03.30.12
Alaska Senators Introduce Bill to Advance Research in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
WASHINGTON, DC-Today U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mark Begich (D-AK), Tim Johnson (D-SD) and Daniel Inouye (D-HI) introduced The Advancing FASD Research, Prevention, and Services Act to improve research, prevention, and services for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). FASD is an umbrella term that describes a range of physical and mental birth defects that can occur in a fetus when a pregnant woman drinks alcohol. Alcohol exposure during pregnancy is a leading cause of non-heredit… Continue Reading
03.30.12
Murkowski Comments on JPARC Draft EIS Statement
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today released the following statement after Alaskan Command released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the modernization and enhancement of the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex. "The Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex (JPARC) is the premier joint training range in the United States and will become even more important to US national security in the coming years as training ranges in the Lower 48 find themselves limited in their ability to op… Continue Reading
03.29.12
Murkowski Touts Alaskan Seafood at Senate Oceans Caucus
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski, co-chair of the U.S. Senate Oceans Caucus today hosted a briefing of the bipartisan group - this meeting focusing on American seafood jobs and the importance of the U.S. seafood industry to our national and coastal region economies. The experts offering testimony represented the seafood industry in the Gulf of Mexico, West Coast, Chesapeake Bay and New England. She opened the discussion with the following statement: "In the state of Alaska, this is o… Continue Reading
03.29.12
Murkowski Invites President Obama to “Milkshake” Summit on ANWR Development
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today invited President Barack Obama to a "milkshake" summit to discuss a new approach to opening the non-wilderness portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to responsible oil and gas development. Murkowski's invitation was motivated by an exchange at today's White House Press Briefing, during which Press Secretary Jay Carney was asked about the President's position on legislation that Murkowski introduced last year. Carney respon… Continue Reading
03.29.12
Murkowski Brings “Choose Respect” Movement to Senate Floor
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski took to the U.S. Senate floor today and shared the "Choose Respect" message with her Senate colleagues and all those watching proceedings from the gallery. Immediately following the Choose Respect rally outside the U.S. Capitol, Murkowski spent a few moments telling the Senate and the national viewing audience about the fight that all Alaskans are engaged in against domestic abuse and sexual assault. (Click box to watch) An excerpt from her floor… Continue Reading
03.29.12
Alaska Delegation Chooses Respect at Capitol Hill Rally
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski joined with Senator Mark Begich and Representative Don Young today in a show of support for Governor Parnell's "Choose Respect" initiative. The delegation participated in a rally at the U.S. Capitol, to stand together with all Alaskans to march against the plague of domestic violence and sexual assault that harms Alaska. (Click photo for video of remarks: click here for b-roll of event) "We stand together with Governor Parnell as a nationwide net… Continue Reading
03.29.12
Alaska Delegation Introduces Legislation Naming Juneau Courthouse Facilities
The Alaska Congressional Delegation, looking to honor his many years of service and dedication to the state of Alaska, has introduced legislation to name the federal courthouse facilities in the Juneau Federal Building after the late Judge Robert Boochever. Judge Boochever moved to and began his service to Alaska in 1946 first as an assistant U.S. attorney and later as the fourth Chief Justice of the Alaska Supreme Court. In 1980, Judge Boochever became the first Alaskan to serve on the Federal… Continue Reading
03.29.12
Murkowski to Hold Break-Up Forecast Roundtable
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced she is holding a roundtable discussion with state and federal authorities next Thursday in Anchorage - that will be livestreamed to all Alaskan communities - on the upcoming spring thaw and potential flood risks in Alaska. "Alaska has seen a historic winter of snowfall," said Murkowski. "But after the snow piles peak and before the water levels increase, Alaskans' concerns and anxieties rise about the break-up and flood season ahead. I … Continue Reading
03.29.12
Murkowski: Addressing Rising Gasoline Prices is National Imperative
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, made the following opening statement at today's hearing on gasoline price trends: "It's true that many factors are driving up fuel costs for Americans. Some are beyond the control of the President and the Congress. But others, we can influence. We can influence pipeline capacity, by approving them on a timely basis. We can influence whether refineries stay in busines… Continue Reading
03.28.12
Murkowski Offers ANWR, Permitting Amendments to Energy Tax Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today expressed her frustration over the inability to vote on amendments to the Repeal Big Oil Tax Subsidies bill due to the Senate Majority Leader blocking all Republican amendments. "This is the only energy bill that's been up for debate on the Senate floor this Congress and instead of having a real discussion about policy, Democrats are engaged in a political messaging exercise," Murkowski said. "Republicans introduced 32 energy amendme… Continue Reading
03.28.12
Murkowski Drills Down on Eielson Savings Claim
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today pressed United States Air Force officials about the methods and reasoning being relied upon in its proposal to move the F-16 Aggressor Squadron from Eielson Air Force Base to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. During a hearing of the Senate Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee, Murkowski asked what data has changed since the Pentagon's attempted BRAC of Eielson in 2005 and received assurance that the USAF will take a "broader look" than… Continue Reading
