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 Statement on Administration’s Decision to Prevent Uranium Production Outside the Borders of the Grand Canyon
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today issued the following response to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's announcement that he was extending the million-acre moratorium on new uranium mining claims outside the borders of the Grand Canyon National Park. "The Grand Canyon deserves to be protected and it is, but this decision is part of a misguided effort to impose 'buffer zones' around national parks and other federal lands that effectively lock-up vast areas without Congre… Continue Reading
01.09.12
Murkowski Flying to Indiana for “Special Delivery” to Alaska National Guard Unit
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski is visiting 118 Alaska National Guardsmen of Company B, 1st battalion (Airborne) of the 143rd Infantry Regiment tomorrow at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center in Edinburgh, Indiana. During the course of her tour of training activities, Senator Murkowski will visit with the soldiers, express her appreciation and hand-deliver Alaskan silver salmon to the troops. "These brave Alaskans are getting ready to move to the other side of the planet -… Continue Reading
01.06.12
Murkowski Encouraged by Navy’s USS Anchorage Response
Senator Lisa Murkowski received a response from the Secretary of the Navy's office regarding her November request to have the USS Anchorage - a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship - commissioned in Anchorage once it completes its sea trials. "The Port of Anchorage would be an ideal location to commission the USS Anchorage," said Senator Murkowski. "I am encouraged that Secretary of the Navy agrees, and is going to give an Alaskan ceremony serious consideration." "The Secretary st… Continue Reading
01.05.12
Murkowski Statement on Pentagon Cuts
WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Obama today introduced a new strategy for American forces that could involve significant reductions in Army force structure, changes in military pay, benefits and retirement, and major changes in weapons system procurement. Senator Murkowski had the following reaction to his remarks: "We are entering a new era for the American military - both in mindset but also in resources. As we rethink our military spending and prepare to meet 21st Century challenges, we need … Continue Reading
12.30.11
Murkowski Appreciates DHS Waiver Decision for Nome
WASHINGTON, D.C. - After hearing that the Russian Tanker Renda had received a waiver from the Department of Homeland Security for a statutory Jones Act requirement to transport fuel from Dutch Harbor to Nome, Senator Lisa Murkowski today had the following reaction: "Today is an important step in providing certainty to the Seward Peninsula region, in terms of heat and affordable heating prices through the winter, but it is only a step. We literally have hundreds of miles to go before resolutio… Continue Reading
12.22.11
Murkowski Statement on Deal for Payroll Tax Cut Extensions, 20,000 Jobs for Americans
Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) today announced a plan to approve the bipartisan U.S. Senate compromise reached Saturday - extending the payroll tax cut and other benefits - while accelerating negotiations toward a longer agreement. The bill also requires a decision from the Obama Administration on the Keystone XL pipeline within months. Senator Lisa Murkowski had the following reaction to the vote: "With many Americans facing high unemployment and underemployment, I'm pleased that th… Continue Reading
12.21.11
Delegation Lauds FAA Changes to Address Pilot Fatigue, Protect Passengers
Washington, D.C. - Today the Federal Aviation Administration released major changes in commercial airline rules to prevent dangerously-fatigued pilots from flying - changes that originally were scheduled to be announced in August. The new rules limit the amount of flight time that pilots can be asked to work and increase the amount of mandated rest hours. This development comes days after the Alaska Congressional Delegation wrote a letter to Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Admini… Continue Reading
12.21.11
Sen. Murkowski: Reliability Concerns Warrant Careful Review of Utility MACT Rule
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today commented on the Environmental Protection Agency's release of the final National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants from Coal- and Oil-Fired Electric Utility Steam Generating Units, or Utility MACT. Murkowski has expressed concern with the rule due to its potentially significant implications for electric grid reliability. Murkowski has urged a greater role for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and expert or… Continue Reading
12.21.11
Bipartisan Group of Senators Concerned About EPA’s Overly Broad Diesel Fuel Definition
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Ranking members of the Senate Committees on Energy and Natural Resources and Environment and Public Works Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and James M. Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), today joined Sens. John Hoeven (R-North Dakota) and Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana) in sending a bipartisan letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to express concern about the approach the agency seems to be taking to regulate hydraulic fracturing under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) when diesel… Continue Reading
12.19.11
Corps Decision Clears Way for Responsible Development of NPR-A
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today welcomed a decision by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to grant road access to the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) via construction of a bridge across the Colville River. "Today's decision clears the way for the National Petroleum Reserve's first oil production," Murkowski said. "NPR-A has long been cited as an example of the federal government's commitment to domestic oil production, but in reality the gates to NPR-A … Continue Reading
12.18.11
Murkowski Salutes “Mala the Magnificent” on Senate Floor
WASHINGTON, D.C. -Senator Lisa Murkowski took the occasion of the 105th anniversary of Ray Mala's birth to share the memories and the meaning of the nation's first Native film star. An Alaska Native and the first non-white actor to receive top billing in Hollywood entertainment, Mala was born on December 27th, 1906 in Candle, Alaska. Over the course of his career, he worked with cinema legends like Alfred Hitchcock and Cecil B. DeMille. "It is a great honor for me to reflect upon the life of … Continue Reading
12.17.11
Delegation Recognizes the 40th Anniversary of ANCSA
Washington, D.C. -Senators Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich, along with the support of Congressman Don Young passed a resolution recognizing the 40th anniversary of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. On December 18, 1971, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) was enacted to settle longstanding issues of the Alaska Native aboriginal land claims. "When Alaska Business Monthly recently announced the Top 49 Alaskan-owned business list, it was no surprise to see that 8 of the top 10 … Continue Reading
12.17.11
Omnibus Appropriations Bill Brings Alaska Vital Funds
WASHINGTON, D.C. -Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced a number of funding priorities for Alaska addressed in the $1 trillion omnibus appropriations bill that passed the Senate with bipartisan support. The omnibus bill, which will fund the federal government for the remainder of the 2012 Fiscal Year, now heads to President Obama for his signature. The Senator sits on six different appropriations subcommittees, and is the ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Interior, … Continue Reading
12.17.11
Murkowski Votes for Benefit Extensions, 20,000 Jobs for America
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today voted for the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act, which will continue to put added money into working Americans paychecks and keeps benefits going through February to those unemployed and looking for work. The act also extends the current medicare reimbursement rate and aid to needy families for two months. To make certain the bill does not add to the nation's deficit, it will be paid for by a bipartisan agreement to raise guarantee fees … Continue Reading
12.16.11
Murkowski Comments on BOEM Release of Shell Exploration
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today issued the following statement on the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's (BOEM) conditional approval of Shell's exploration plan for Alaska's Chukchi Sea, which requires Shell to stop drilling 38 days before ice forms around the drill site. BOEM has set Sept. 24 as the final day Shell can drill in the Chukchi next year. "Some of the conditions attached to this decision seem to be a response to newspaper ads, rather than founded in sc… Continue Reading
12.16.11
Spending Bill Reaffirms Restriction on “Wild Lands” Designations
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today unveiled language included in the 2012 Interior spending bill that blocks federal land management agencies from creating new wilderness areas without first getting Congressional approval. "It should be no surprise to the administration that Congress is again reconfirming that the executive branch does not have authority to set aside lands in wilderness-like classifications," Murkowski said. "This should be a clear message to the admi… Continue Reading
12.16.11
Murkowski: Interior Appropriations a Boon for Alaskan Causes
WASHINGTON, D.C. -Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced a number of funding priorities for Alaska reflected in the 2012 Interior Appropriations Bill working its way through the House and Senate - on areas ranging from resources to public health to recreation. Murkowski is the ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, which, with her role on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, gives her authorizing and appropriating powe… Continue Reading
12.15.11
Murkowski on Christen: “It Often Takes a Little Time to Get the Best”
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today voted to confirm Alaskan Supreme Court Justice Morgan Christen as the first Alaskan woman to serve on the Ninth Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals, in an overwhelming 95-3 vote. Prior to the vote, Senator Murkowski spoke on the Senate floor in support of Justice Christen. "Morgan Christen is an experienced, well-rounded attorney," said Murkowski. "She is an exceptionally well-rounded jurist with experience on the trial and appellate bench. She … Continue Reading
12.15.11
Bill Blocks NPS from Conducting Boating Checks on State Waters
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sen. Lisa Murkowski today announced that the 2012 Interior Appropriations bill includes language restricting the National Park Service's authority to conduct boater safety checks within the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. "Congressman Young and I worked together to craft this language to address the growing frustration Alaskans have with the unprecedented overreach of federal land managers," Murkowski said. "Park Service rangers are not the Coast Guard." The provi… Continue Reading
12.15.11
Murkowski Provision to Return Authority for Arctic OCS to Interior
WASHINGTON, D.C. - After months of negotiations, Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced a deal that would return authority over air emissions from offshore activity in the Arctic to the Interior Department via the 2012 Interior Appropriations Bill. Murkowski is the ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, giving her authorizing and appropriating power over the Interior Department. "This language is one of the most important s… Continue Reading