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.

09.27.11

Murkowski Joins Six Senate Colleagues Urging Indian Health Service Improvements

WASHINGTON - Senator Murkowski today joined a bipartisan group of her Senate colleagues in urging Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and other top administration officials to act quickly to improve health care delivery to American Indians and Alaska Natives. In a letter to Secretary Sebelius and Indian Health Service Director Dr. Yvette Roubideaux, the senators pointed to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report issued Friday that highlights billing and other problems … Continue Reading


09.23.11

Murkowski Criticizes ‘No Child Left Behind’ Waiver Offer

WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Murkowski today challenged the Department of Education's waiver process for states to opt out of some provisions of the "No Child Left Behind Act" - reminding the administration they do not have the authority to do so, unilaterally. "I'm disappointed that President Obama's solution to his predecessor's top-down, one-size-fits-all policy is his own top-down, one-size fits all policy." At a White House press conference today, President Obama offered states the chance to … Continue Reading


09.23.11

Murkowski: Solyndra Bankruptcy Casts Shadow on Pending Loan Guarantees

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, yesterday sent a letter to Energy Secretary Steven Chu urging him to correct any shortcomings in the Department of Energy's loan guarantee program under the 2009 stimulus bill before taxpayers are asked to shoulder additional risk. The Department of Energy (DOE) may issue up to $9.2 billion in new loan guarantees under the temporary Section 1705 loan guarantee program in the next week. "In these critical days, as the cabinet officer respon… Continue Reading


09.23.11

Murkowski Fights Attempt to End Alaska’s Bypass Mail Funding

WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Murkowski today defended the United States Postal Service's core duty as two Congressmen push legislation that would require Alaska to pay the USPS for the costs of bypass mail in Alaska - a critical service for Alaskans off the road system who cannot get their mail through other means. "Bypass mail connects rural Alaska to our hubs, but it also works the other way around," Murkowski said. "Millions of dollars worth of groceries, medications, and construction supplies … Continue Reading


09.21.11

Murkowski Makes Move to Help Rural Alaskans’ Energy Costs

WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Murkowski took the opportunity today during a Senate Appropriations Committee markup to advocate increased funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) - a key program to many Alaskans dealing with expensive heating bills - by diverting some of the $1 billion being set aside for implementation of the health care reform bill, known as the Affordable Care Act. "I find it unconscionable that so many rural Alaskans are facing high prices on heating oi… Continue Reading


09.21.11

Alaska’s Essential Air Service Getting Critical Funding

WASHINGTON, DC - Millions of dollars for Alaska's transportation projects were approved by the full Senate Appropriations Committee earlier today, in a bipartisan vote supported by committee member Senator Lisa Murkowski. "It is my priority and my duty to do all I can for the state of Alaska," said Murkowski. "And that means I must make sure that even in an era of cuts and tough decisions, we continue to receive our fair share." The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations … Continue Reading


09.21.11

Murkowski Touts Jobs, Debt Reduction during House ANWR Hearing

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today expressed her frustration over the Obama administration's repeated attempts to lock up lands in Alaska by designating them as wilderness to prevent resource development. Murkowski made her comments Wednesday in testimony before the House Committee on Natural Resources during an oversight hearing on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). "Here we are with the federal government essentially broke - fighting all day, every day o… Continue Reading


09.21.11

Murkowski: Delay of NPR-A Permitting Decision Unacceptable

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, yesterday sent a letter to Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy requesting a timely resolution of permitting roadblocks that threaten to derail the first oil and gas production in the National Petroleum Preserve Alaska (NPR-A). In her letter to Assistant Secretary Darcy, who visited ConocoPhillips' Alpine oil field on the North Slope in August, Murkowski stressed the importance of allowing surface access to NPR… Continue Reading


09.20.11

Murkowski Emphasizes an All of the Above Energy Policy at RETECH Conference

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today gave the following remarks at the RETECH conference, hosted by the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE): "Good afternoon, and thanks for the invitation to join you this afternoon. Admiral McGinn, I appreciate that kind introduction. I'd also like to thank you for your leadership at ACORE and your hard work on RETECH. "I'm told this conference could draw more than 3,000 attendees over the next couple of days. Not only will… Continue Reading


09.20.11

Murkowski Responds to Ketchikan Alaska Class Ferry Contract

WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Murkowski today responded to the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities' decision that Alaska Ship & Drydock (ASD) in Ketchikan has been selected as the construction manager/general contractor for the new Alaska Class Ferry: "I welcome Commissioner Luiken's news that Alaska Ship & Drydock has been chosen to oversee the construction of the new Alaska Class Ferry. The project could mean up to 200 jobs for Ketchikan whether in direct shipbuildi… Continue Reading


09.19.11

Murkowski: FERC Responsible for Protecting Power Grid Reliability

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today called on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to immediately initiate a formal process to address electricity reliability issues raised by the Environmental Protection Agency's regulatory agenda. In a letter to FERC Chairman Jon Wellinghoff, Murkowski requested the commission provide, within six months, a thorough analysis of the cumulative impact that proposed EPA regulations could have on the reliability of the nation's … Continue Reading


09.19.11

Murkowski Calls for Action on Pilots’ Bill of Rights

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski joined 31 of her Senate colleagues in sending a letter to Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Sen. John Rockefeller (D-WV) and Ranking Member Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), asking the committee to hold a hearing and markup of S.1335, the Pilot's Bill of Rights - legislation that grants aviators greater transparency in their interactions with the FAA. "Alaska's skies are our highways in many cases and we take to the air far more than residents of other… Continue Reading


09.15.11

Defense Bill Fully Funds Military Operations In Alaska

WASHINGTON, DC - The Senate Appropriations Committee today passed a $630.6 billion defense appropriations bill that fully funds military operations in Alaska and America's ongoing overseas contingency operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to Senator Lisa Murkowski - a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and the Appropriations Committee. The bill also includes a 1.6% across the board pay raise for military personnel. "I am proud that we were able to support our troo… Continue Reading


09.15.11

Law Enforcement in Alaska to Get Needed Federal Support

WASHINGTON, DC - Justice programs with significant importance to Alaska received millions in national funding today in an appropriations bill passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee, according to Senator Lisa Murkowski. The bill now heads to the U.S. Senate for a final vote. Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS) - crucial to Alaska law enforcement because they allow police across the state to coordinate with other state agencies in the Northwest - received $35 million in federal f… Continue Reading


09.15.11

Murkowski Welcomes New Report on Domestic Oil and Gas Resources

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today welcomed the release of a report by the National Petroleum Council (NPC) that points to newly and greatly expanded domestic oil and natural gas resources that have been unlocked by recent and significant advances in technology. "This report underscores what I have been saying for a very long time: that our nation has a tremendous natural resource base. It's critical, not just to our energy security, but to our economic security as we… Continue Reading


09.15.11

Murkowski To Super Committee: “Go Big, Go Bold”

WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Murkowski today shared the podium with a bipartisan group of 35 U.S. Senators assembled to encourage the work of the 12-member "Super Committee" that has been tasked with reducing the nation's debt - and share their thoughts about an even more aggressive path forward than originally envisioned. The three dozen Senators laid out their beliefs that a deficit reduction plan should: Include enough deficit reduction to stabilize the debt as a share of the economy, put the… Continue Reading


09.15.11

Murkowski: Energy Technologies Need to be Cost Competitive

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today made the following statement on the importance of making sure Americans have access to affordable energy during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee nomination hearing: "One of the issues that we continue to struggle with, especially in these difficult economic times, is what the government's role should be as we transition to the next generation of energy technologies. We hear a lot about the 'Valley of Death' for investm… Continue Reading


09.14.11

Alaska’s Fisheries To Receive “Smart, Targeted” Support

WASHINGTON, DC - Alaska's fisheries benefitted from funding decisions and a number of cost-effective adjustments in the language of an appropriations bill that passed the Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee today in a bipartisan vote, according to Senator Murkowski, a Subcommittee Member. The CJS Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2012 now goes to the full Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration tomorrow. "America is facing an increasingly high deficit, w… Continue Reading


09.14.11

Law Enforcement in Alaska to Get Needed Federal Support

WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Murkowski announced today that justice programs with significant importance to Alaska had language approved by the Commerce Justice and Science subcommittee - and could mean millions in federal funding for Alaska's law enforcement. The bill received bipartisan support and now heads to the full Senate Appropriations Committee for a vote Thursday. Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS) - crucial to Alaska law enforcement because they allow police across the state to… Continue Reading


09.13.11

“Without Healthy Oceans, We Do Not Have a Healthy Planet”

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski joined Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today to open up the discussions and mission of the newly launched U.S. Senate Oceans Caucus (SOC). Senator Begich and fifteen additional members of the SOC will also participate to create better informed and timely policy for America's coasts, estuaries and open oceans. After the SOC meeting concluded earlier today, Senator Murkowski shared her thoughts with the assembled media: "This is an opportunity for u… Continue Reading

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