04.20.12

Murkowski: America’s Vast Oil Resources are an Inconvenient Truth for President

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, appeared on CNBC's Kudlow Report today to speak about new estimates of U.S. oil resources. While President Obama continues to claim the United States has only 2 percent of the world's resources (campaign rhetoric that earned the president two Pinocchios from the Washington Post Fact Checker), new data shows the country really has 26 percent of the world's recoverable oil. "The president is fond of saying that we only have 2 percent of the … Continue Reading

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04.20.12

Murkowski Bill Delivers Housing Results Before Votes Are Cast

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Murkowski's "short sale" bill introduced in February to improve the nation's housing market has already created momentum and movement within the industry. This week, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to adopt guidelines similar to those in Murkowski's legislation, to ensure communication between lenders and potential buyers of short sale homes - homes where the owners owe more on their house than the asking cost and are willi… Continue Reading

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04.20.12

Murkowski, Begich Resolution Marks This Weekend as “Global Youth Service Days”

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senators Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich today announced that this weekend, April 20th - 22, 2012, has been designated "Global Youth Service Days" after a resolution they introduced passed the U.S. Senate this week unanimously. "One of the most important lessons for children is giving of themselves and their time to the community," Murkowski said. "It's a great habit to get into as early as possible, and I am so proud of the many young Alaskans who volunteer their time to he… Continue Reading

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04.19.12

Murkowski: White House Ocean Policy “Clear As Mud”

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Murkowski - co-chair of the U.S. Senate Oceans Caucus - today expressed her frustration with the administration's disorderly national ocean policy process during a meeting of the Senate Appropriations Committee, saying "it is as clear as mud to me where the administration is intending to take this." Murkowski also voiced her concerns over the Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning (CMSP) program that the Obama administration has indicated it plans to proceed with despite… Continue Reading

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04.19.12

Murkowski: Senate Should Act Quickly on Svinicki Nomination

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today called on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to act quickly on the Obama administration's re-nomination of Dr. Kristen Svinicki to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a second term. The Obama administration announced Thursday morning that it was sending Svinicki's name to the Senate for consideration. Once the nomination is officially received by the Senate it will be referred to the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee (… Continue Reading

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04.19.12

Murkowski Calls for Investigation of Stevens Prosecutors’ Obstruction, Tax Dollars Spent

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Murkowski secured language as part of the FY2013 Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) appropriations bill to require a Government Accounting Office report looking into the taxpayer dollars spent by the Department of Justice to defend federal prosecutors accused of misconduct in the trial of Senator Ted Stevens. (Senator Murkowski makes recent remarks in Anchorage regarding the Stevens trial) The language that was approved by the Appropriations Committee today read… Continue Reading

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04.19.12

Murkowski Committee Work Aiding Alaska's Road, Housing Needs

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Murkowski secured provisions in an FY2013 Appropriations bill that mean continued progress on Alaska's rural road system and security for the housing market in Alaska through her position on the Senate Appropriations Committee. These priorities were addressed in the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (T-HUD) bill that passed out of the committee Thursday. "While so many of my colleagues push and advocate for renovations or maintenance of their basic housing… Continue Reading

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04.18.12

Alaska Delegation Tells NOAA of Overreach Concerns

WASHINGTON, DC - Alaska's Congressional delegation today met with NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, raising concerns about a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) on the effects of oil and natural gas activities on the Arctic Ocean and highlighting the importance of exploration and development in the region. The DEIS addresses how noise and other possible impacts from exploration and development affect marine mammals and fish in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. The delegation raised conc… Continue Reading

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04.18.12

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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