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 To Hold “Tele-Town Hall” on Economy
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced that she is holding an extra town hall this Thursday evening, via phone, on the economic challenges facing the nation and to hear from Alaskans who weren't able to make it to her three town halls in late October. The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction - 12 members of Congress are tasked with finding $1.5 trillion in savings over the next decade - are currently reviewing all federal programs with a November 23rd deadline. This … Continue Reading
11.05.11
Delegation Welcomes Cook Inlet Natural Gas Discovery by Escopeta
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Alaska congressional delegation today welcomed Escopeta Oil's discovery of an estimated 3.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in Cook Inlet as a critical step in exploring Cook Inlet and vindication of the congressional delegation's efforts to address Jones Act issues related to the company's use of a foreign-flagged vessel to deliver a specialized drilling rig to Alaska. The discovery is good news for Southcentral residents, who face rising utility bills because of dec… Continue Reading
11.04.11
Murkowski Welcomes New Alaska Communications Director
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced Alaskan journalist Andrea Gusty is joining her staff as the Communications Director for Alaska. "Andrea is going to be a tremendous help in keeping Alaskans connected to the work of my office in Washington, DC, -- and vice versa," Murkowski said. "She has been serving Alaska for years through her reporting, and her commitment to the issues facing our state will continue in her new role." Originally from Aniak, Gusty comes to Sen. Murkow… Continue Reading
11.04.11
Murkowski: EPA Should Aid Fairbanks in Meeting New Air Quality Requirements
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, sent a letter this week to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson urging her to reconsider the agency's refusal to provide grant assistance to the Fairbanks North Star Borough to meet new particulate matter standards (PM 2.5) for air quality. "In a community where electricity costs more than twice the national average; where the EPA has dragged its feet in permitting the restart of the Healy clean coal power plant; and … Continue Reading
11.04.11
Murkowski “Cautiously Optimistic” in Bypass Mail Battle
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today applauded the fact that the bipartisan postal reform bill introduced this week by members of the Senate committee with jurisdiction over the U.S. Postal Service - which does not make changes to the U.S. Postal Service's bypass mail service in Alaska. "We have a ways to go in terms of ensuring that this critical and unique Alaskan service continues to benefit urban and rural Alaska," said Murkowski. "But I am cautiously optimistic that my Senate c… Continue Reading
11.03.11
Murkowski Statement on Today’s Competing Infrastructure Bills
Washington, DC - Senator Lisa Murkowski today voted for the S. 1786, the Long-Term Surface Transportation Extension Act - an alternative measure to S.1769, the American Jobs Act - which she voted against in back-to-back votes on the floor of the U.S. Senate, and had the following statement afterwards: "Alaska would have seen more work and funding from the Long-Term Surface Transportation Extension Act than the American Jobs Act, and the funds would have gotten to the state quicker without raisi… Continue Reading
11.03.11
Delegation Questions Air Force on Civilian Personnel Decreases at Alaska Bases
WASHINGTON DC - Reacting to the announcement that the U.S. Air Force will be eliminating 53 jobs at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) and several at Eielson Air Force Base, the Alaska Congressional Delegation wrote a letter today to Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Norton Schwartz expressing concern and asking for more details on the cuts to the workforce. The letter expresses concern with the decision to find budget cuts by arbitrarily laying … Continue Reading
11.02.11
Universal Service Fund Reform Protects Alaska
WASHINGTON, DC - Alaska's Congressional Delegation remains committed to fighting for Alaskans to ensure that the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) reform of the Universal Services Fund (USF) continues to provide support for the telecommunications services in rural America, including rural areas of Alaska. The FCC voted on October 27 to reform the USF, part of a major effort to overhaul a system that was designed in the early days of the Internet, when services came through dial-up phon… Continue Reading
11.02.11
Murkowski Speaks on Importance of Spurring Critical Minerals Domestic Production
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today delivered the following remarks at the National Center for Policy Analysis' "Rare Earths, Critical Metals, and National Security" conference in Washington, D.C.: "Good afternoon, and thanks for the invitation to join you here. "I also want to thank NCPA - and everyone attending this conference - for taking time to focus on our nation's mining industry. Not enough attention is paid to the positive impact it has on our daily lives … Continue Reading
11.02.11
Murkowski Presses Coast Guard on Needed Icebreaker Action
Washington, DC - Senator Lisa Murkowski today urged the United States Coast Guard to move forward with a required analysis, in order to move closer to a decision point on acquiring new icebreakers for the Arctic - as they are nearly three weeks past the deadline for providing that analysis to Congress. "There are different options being proposed for the acquisition of new icebreakers," Murkowski wrote. But the Coast Guard needed to get a Business Case Analysis (BCA) to Congress by October 15th… Continue Reading
11.01.11
Rural Alaska’s Heat, Housing, Infrastructure Getting Support
Washington, DC - Senator Lisa Murkowski today voted in support of an appropriations bill combining three separate spending bills - referred to as a 'minibus' bill - that passed the U.S. Senate, containing millions in essential supplies and services for rural Alaska. Murkowski serves on the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee and 6 different Appropriations Subcommittees. Many Alaskan imperatives have been addressed through the appropriations process, including: High Energy Cost Grants: $10 mi… Continue Reading
11.01.11
Murkowski at Economic Town Hall: “This is the Fight We Fight Every Day As Alaskans”
WASHINGTON D.C. - Just a week after holding economic town halls in three Alaskan communities, Senator Lisa Murkowski today released video from her presentations to make the information more accessible to all Alaskans to hear her thoughts about getting the nation on a stable financial path."I was happy to speak with so many Alaskans last week and share the DC situation with them," said Murkowski. "But I realize that I was only able to talk with a fraction of the state's residents about a situati… Continue Reading
11.01.11
Appropriations “Minibus” Delivers Alaska Needs
Washington, DC - Senator Lisa Murkowski today voted in support of an appropriations bill combining three separate spending bills - referred to as a 'minibus' bill - that passed the U.S. Senate and contain millions for projects and necessary work in Alaska. Murkowski serves on the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee and 6 different Appropriations Subcommittees. The 'minibus' bill (HR 2112) includes the Agriculture spending bill with the Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill and the Tran… Continue Reading
10.31.11
Murkowski Tours "The Future of the Coast Guard" Cutter
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Murkowski today toured the United States Coast Guard Cutter Stratton (WMSL-752) - the newest cutter in the fleet - as it transited the Chesapeake Bay, taking advantage of the visit to meet several Alaskans on board, along with Vice Admiral Manson Brown, Commander of the Pacific Area. "Alaska's waters are the future of fisheries, shipping, commerce, and tourism - so I wanted to take full advantage of an opportunity to visit a ship that represents the future of the Coast … Continue Reading
10.31.11
Murkowski: Court Decision Should Spur More Timber Sales
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today released the following statement in response to the federal court of appeals ruling that the U.S Forest Service's Logjam Timber Sale complies with federal environmental laws: "I congratulate the U.S. Forest Service on coming up with a successful template for responsible timber sales in the Tongass National Forest," Murkowski said. "Now that the Logjam sale has been cleared by the courts, the Forest Service should take this opportunit… Continue Reading
10.31.11
Murkowski Welcomes Independent Review of DOE Loans
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today released the following statement in response to the Obama Administration's decision to order an independent review of recent renewable energy loans made by the Department of Energy: "I welcome the administration's decision to conduct a serious review of the stimulus loan guarantee program," Murkowski said. "There are many questions that have yet to be answered about Solyndra, and the Department of Energy's administration of the progr… Continue Reading
10.28.11
Murkowski: No Time to Lose to Advance Alaska Natural Gas
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today urged Alaskans to consider all options for commercializing the state's huge natural gas resources on the North Slope, including expediting construction of a pipeline as far as Fairbanks. "The world is seeing massive changes in terms of natural gas supply and markets, and Alaskans must be able to adjust to those changes. Back in February, I asked the Legislature to be ready to consider new options on a gas line, so I welcome the g… Continue Reading
10.27.11
Delegation Questions Possible Closures of Fairbanks Post Offices
The Alaska Congressional Delegation is expressing concern over the decision to move forward on possible closure of the post offices on Alaska's Fort Wainwright and Eielson Air Force Base. After learning yesterday that the United States Postal Service (USPS) has taken the next step toward closing the two offices, the delegation today sent a letter to Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe questioning the calculations used to arrive at the decision to consider closing. The letter expresses concern th… Continue Reading
10.26.11
Murkowski: Congressional Approval Needed to Change OSM
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today released the following statement regarding Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's order to combine the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) into the Bureau of Land Management (BLM): "I'm deeply concerned about this proposed unilateral action. If it were simply a consolidation of administrative functions, that is something I could support. According to Interior's release, however, it appears that the proposed merger would be much more extensive a… Continue Reading
10.26.11
Murkowski Welcomes Kip Knudson, Gov. Parnell’s New Director of State and Federal Relations
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sen. Lisa Murkowski today released the following statement on Governor Sean Parnell's announcement of Kip Knudson as Director of State and Federal relations in his Washington, D.C. office: "Governor Parnell informed me this morning that he has selected Kip Knudson to be Alaska's new Director of State and Federal Relations and I was happy to hear it. "I've known Kip since my time in the Alaska State Legislature, and worked with him on vital Alaska issues in Washington. He h… Continue Reading
