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.
Proposed Merger Means Loss of Independence for Regulatory Agency
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today expressed concern and frustration over Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's order to "consolidate" the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) within the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). "I'm not convinced the decision to merge OSM into BLM is legally valid or good public policy," Murkowski said at Thursday's Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the issue. "The committees of jurisdiction were not consulted and the Interior's s… Continue Reading
11.16.11
November “National Native American Heritage Month” After Senate Passes Legislation Co-Sponsored by Senator Murkowski
WASHINGTON, D.C. -Today, the Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution co-sponsored by Senator Murkowski recognizing November as National Native American Heritage Month - and next Friday as Native American Heritage Day. "Forty percent of all the federally recognized tribes in the United States call Alaska home," said Murkowski. "So I am proud to call attention to our Alaska's First People - and American Indians and Native Hawaiians, as well - and celebrate their rich contribution to our… Continue Reading
11.16.11
Murkowski to Super Committee: “Let’s Get the Job Done”
WASHINGTON, D.C. -With growing urgency and a rise in bicameral, bipartisan support for a long-term deal, Senator Murkowski today pressed the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction's 12 members to reach an agreement that finds at least $1.2 trillion in savings over the next 10 years. At a U.S. Capitol press conference (footage below), the Senator stood alongside approximately 50 lawmakers on behalf of the over 150 members of the Senate and the House who are encouraging the "Super Committee"… Continue Reading
11.15.11
Murkowski Announces Staff Visit to Storm-Damaged Villages
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced that a member of her staff will be visiting the communities of Nome, Unalakleet, Shaktoolik, Kotzebue and Kivalina to assess the damage of the recent winter storm on much of western Alaska last week. "Though I was receiving continuous updates from state and federal authorities when the storm was threatening so many of our vulnerable villages, now that the skies and seas have calmed I want a first-hand account of where western Alaska stan… Continue Reading
11.15.11
Murkowski Lauds "Historic" Vote for Sharon Gleason, First Alaskan Woman on Federal Bench
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Murkowski today voted to confirm Alaskan Judge Sharon Gleason to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska, in a overwhelming 87-8 vote preceded by a speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate where the Senator praised the nominee. Prior to today's vote, Murkowski sought input from a few of her Alaska bar colleagues to gain additional insight into Gleason's judicial approach - and shared some of the observations with the Senate: "She insists upon litiga… Continue Reading
11.15.11
Murkowski: Regular Review Would Improve Energy Policies
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today gave the following remarks during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the Quadrennial Energy Review Act (S.1703): "I welcome the opportunity to consider the Administration's recent technology review and our bipartisan legislation to establish a Quadrennial Energy Review. "I have long believed that our nation needs to develop an energy policy that can endure - a policy that won't be completely revamped every … Continue Reading
11.14.11
Senate Oceans Caucus Will Kick Off with Alaska Focus
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senate Oceans Caucus co-chair Senator Murkowski today announced that Dr. Jeremy Mathis - head of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Ocean Acidification Research Center - will be the first expert to address the U.S. Senate Oceans Caucus at its first meeting Thursday. "Alaska has more miles of coastline than the rest of the country combined, and those shores represent a wide range of ecosystems - so we have a large body of knowledge to share," said Murkowski. "I'm proud that Al… Continue Reading
11.14.11
Sens. Murkowski and Inhofe Again Ask for Answers on Utility MACT Rule
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and James Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, sent letters to Environment Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson and Office of Management and Budget Information and Regulatory Affairs Administrator Cass Sunstein regarding the lack of response to previous questions about the proposed Mercury and Air Toxic Standards or "Utility MACT rule." The letter calls upon EPA and OMB to answer questions that have been pending for months, and asks new and potent… Continue Reading
11.11.11
Murkowski Unveils “Veteran Spotlight” to Honor Alaskan Heroes
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced she is beginning a "Veteran Spotlight" project - a monthly focus on an Alaska veteran of our conflicts worldwide - to honor and draw the well-deserved attention to Alaska's men and women who served. Every month, the Senator will post a biography and an interview with an Alaskan who served our country abroad, in conjunction with the Library of Congress' Veterans History Project. "We can learn a lot about our country, our state, and ours… Continue Reading
11.11.11
Murkowski Spends 11-11-11 Honoring Vets, Volunteering
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today visited the Vietnam Women's Memorial in our nation's capitol to honor the 265,000 women who volunteered alongside their brothers during the Vietnam War. At the memorial, the Senator heard the stories and memories of those who served during the Vietnam era, and updates from the front lines by those serving in today's armed conflicts. "I want to thank all our Veterans and those currently serving in the military, who we honor this day for their sac… Continue Reading
11.11.11
Murkowski: “Freedom Is Not Free”
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today shared the following thoughts and reflections in observance of Veterans Day: "On this Veterans Day, I want to pay my own tribute to those who wore the uniform of our great Nation and remind all of Alaska of the tremendous sacrifice they bore when our nation called. Theirs is the highest calling of public service. "We like to say that everything is bigger in Alaska. That goes for our veteran population as well. We have more veterans per capita… Continue Reading
11.10.11
Murkowski: Wilderness Proposals Should Come from States
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today issued the following comment in response to the Interior Department's recommendation that 18 backcountry areas in nine states be designated as either wilderness or national conservation areas: "The appropriate process for creating new wilderness areas on federal land is to petition Congress after the federal land management agencies have completed their land management plans and recommendations," Murkowski said. "If a proposal has… Continue Reading
11.10.11
Murkowski Comments on Western Gulf Lease Sale Announcement
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today released the following comment in response to the Interior Department's decision to significantly alter the standard lease terms for offshore oil and natural gas exploration in the upcoming Western Gulf of Mexico lease sale: "While I appreciate the administration's decision to make more potentially productive areas available for exploration, the changes in the lease terms raise real concerns. This lease sale nearly triples the exp… Continue Reading
11.10.11
Murkowski: Pipeline Approval Delay Places Politics Above Jobs
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today issued the following comment in response to Obama administration's decision to delay approval of the Keystone XL pipeline: "There are literally hundreds of oil pipelines between the United States and Canada, carrying energy and commerce through two of the greatest allies and trading partners in world history," Murkowski said. "The idea that the administration cannot decide whether to allow for a badly needed expansion of this syst… Continue Reading
11.10.11
Murkowski: Resistance to Energy Assistance Funds Falling With Mercury, Temps
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today joined several Senate colleagues in a letter requesting that Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program fund levels stay stable for the upcoming year, and the drastic cuts proposed by the White House be rethought. After signing the letter, she gave the following statement: "On September 21st, I made a move in Committee to increase LIHEAP funds, and not have the most vulnerable Alaskans feel the brunt of cuts - especially when it's been proven tha… Continue Reading
11.10.11
Murkowski Votes for Small Business Tax Repeal That Saves Alaska Millions
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today voted to pass H.R. 674, the 3% Withholding Repeal and Job Creation Act, to repeal a three percent withholding tax on government contractors, set to become law in 2013, in a bipartisan effort to improve the economic planning being done by small businesses nationwide - and had the following statement afterwards: "I co-sponsored similar legislation in the Senate to repeal this very policy earlier this year because the costs are needless and trickle … Continue Reading
11.10.11
Senate Passes Core Concepts of Murkowski/Murray “Hiring Heroes Act”
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today voted in support of an amendment that contained most of the provisions of The Hiring Heroes Act of 2011, to provide much-needed relief to America's veteran community - currently suffering unemployment rates worse than the national average - and gave the following statement after her vote: "I am pleased that my Senate colleagues were able to come together for America's veteran community, who have always come through for us," said Murkowski. "But … Continue Reading
11.10.11
Murkowski Wins Approval of Alaska-Related Energy Bills
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today won approval from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for two lands bills that will help facilitate energy projects in Alaska. The committee, on which Murkowski is the ranking member, passed legislation that would allow construction of a natural gas pipeline along the Parks Highway on the border of Denali National Park, and a small land exchange in the park to allow the National Park Service to permit the constructio… Continue Reading
11.09.11
Murkowski: Review Questions Constitutionality of Bypass Mail Challenge
Senator Lisa Murkowski today welcomed a Congressional Research Service (CRS) analysis she requested on the Constitutionality of a provision to require the State of Alaska to pay the cost of bypass mail - as a Senate Committee considered wide-ranging postal reforms. On the heels of the analysis being released, the bipartisan postal reform bill passed out of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee without an amendment to charge Alaska for bypass mail. The CRS analysis det… Continue Reading
11.09.11
Increasing List of Federal Regulations Drag on Economy
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski today took to the Senate floor to speak in favor of overturning two new federal regulations that threaten the economy at a time when the country can least afford it. Murkowski said she would support resolutions of disapproval against the Federal Communications Commission's Internet and Broadband rule and the Environmental Protection Agency's Cross-State Air Pollution Rule. "One of the key ways to create real jobs is by getting the federal government … Continue Reading