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: U.S. Should be Leader in Arctic Energy Development
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, spoke about the important contribution Alaska's Arctic could make to the nation's energy security and economic recovery during a speech Tuesday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "We have so much resource potential in Alaska, especially in our Arctic regions - some 24 billion barrels of oil and more than 100 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas alone, according to the federal government's … Continue Reading
07.12.11
Murkowski Welcomes Efforts to Reduce Permitting Delays in Arctic
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today released the following comment regarding the Obama administration's creation of an interagency working group on domestic energy production in Alaska: "A broken federal permitting process has for years held up responsible development of our offshore oil and natural gas resources in Alaska. The administration's decision to designate specific people at each agency to focus on the development of our Arctic resources represents a positive… Continue Reading
07.08.11
Murkowski Announces Mobile Office Visit to Southeast Alaska
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced that members of her staff will visit the communities of Wrangell, Craig, Klawock, Thorne Bay, Petersburg, Yakutat, Hoonah, Gustavus July 11 - 21st, 2011. Congressional staff members hold mobile office hours throughout the summer to meet with constituents and community leaders. During their mobile office hours, staff representatives will be available to take casework requests and listen to constituent concerns about issues related to the… Continue Reading
07.07.11
Murkowski Announces Second Session Summer Interns
WASHINGTON, D.C. -Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced the names of her second session summer interns who will work in the Senator's Washington, D.C., office this month. These young Alaskans will observe both the operations of a fast-paced Senate office and the legislative process from an up-close view. The second summer session runs from July 11 - August 5, 2011. Senator Murkowski has selected as interns Brandon Boyer from Chugiak; Jennifer Chaudhary from Ketchikan; Anne Hoefler and Victo… Continue Reading
07.07.11
Murkowski on Budget Talks: “There Is No Time to Waste”
WASHINGTON, DC - The United States Senate recessed for the week today, with little in the way of progress being made towards an agreement on a sustainable financial path for the country's future. Alaska's Senior Senator Lisa Murkowski gave the following reaction: "I am flying home tonight with a new level of frustration at the state of gridlock in Washington, DC. I cancelled my plans this week to connect with Alaskans from Fort Greely to King Salmon, with the hope that my colleagues would mo… Continue Reading
07.07.11
Murkowski: “Alaska Demands More” Than New USCG Cutter
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski received a letter from the United States Coast Guard notifying her that the 110-foot U.S. Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Chandeleur will be headed to Ketchikan in early 2012, in an effort to fill the void created by the decommissioning of the USCGC Acushnet in March. "The Acushnet was the 'Queen of the Coast Guard Fleet,' and they're replacing it with a 110-foot island class patrol ship that will have difficulty making it far out into just the Gulf of Alask… Continue Reading
07.06.11
Senator Murkowski Backs "Pilot's Bill of Rights"
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), a member of the Senate General Aviation Caucus and certified flight instructor with more than 10,000 flight hours, today introduced the Pilot's Bill of Rights. The bill has 24 originalco-sponsors, including Senators Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski. "More than in any other state, Alaskans take to the air for not just recreation or travel, but to overcome our lack of roads and the vast distances we need to cover," Senator Murkowski said. "That's … Continue Reading
07.04.11
Murkowski Statement to Alaskans On Independence Day
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today offered the following reflections on the Fourth of July: Hello, Friends. This 4th of July, we celebrate the 235th anniversary of our Nation's independence. With the full swing of summer upon us, I hope the generosity of Alaska's long days has provided ample time for outdoor fun and social gathering. Parades and barbeques are perhaps the most visible reminders of how we celebrate freedom in our communities. And we do fireworks in o… Continue Reading
07.01.11
Senators Introduce Bill to Secure NOAA Presence in Ketchikan
U.S. Senators Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski introduced a bill late Thursday which would help ensure the long term presence of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Ketchikan. The bill would authorize NOAA to sell the port facility it currently owns at 1010 Stedman Street, which used to be a Tesoro fuel dock, and utilize the proceeds of the sale towards a new facility located elsewhere in Ketchikan. The current facility, which serves as the homeport for the NOAA Ship Fa… Continue Reading
07.01.11
Sen. Murkowski Introduces Bill for Short-term Nuclear Fuel Storage
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, introduced legislation to make good on the federal government's promise to provide safe and secure storage for the nation's spent nuclear fuel. The Nuclear Fuel Storage Improvement Act (S. 1320), which is co-sponsored by Mary Landrieu (D-LA), would create two federal interim storage repositories to centralize spent nuclear fuel that is currently being held at individual nuclear power plants around the country. "This proposal addresses one … Continue Reading
07.01.11
Murkowski Welcomes Release of Revised OCS Air Permits to Shell
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today offered the following statement regarding the Environmental Protection Agency's release of draft air quality permits for Shell Oil's exploratory drilling operations in Alaska's Arctic waters: "This represents a positive step in what has been a long and frustrating process," Murkowski said. "I'm hopeful that the EPA's process will work this time and I strongly encourage Alaskans to get involved by submitting comments for the record to … Continue Reading
07.01.11
Sen. Murkowski Supports Limits to Legal Fee Reimbursement
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has signed on as a cosponsor of legislation to restore to its original purpose a federal law that enables deserving parties who sue the federal government to be reimbursed for attorney's fees. Today, large and well-funded political activist groups who frequently use environmental laws to stop economic development are able to get taxpayers to reimburse their attorneys fees under the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA), a statute originally intended to help par… Continue Reading
06.30.11
Murkowski Welcomes PILT Payments to Alaskan Communities
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today announced that the Department of the Interior is distributing over $25 million to Alaskan communities in compensation for taxes that could not be levied on federal lands in their jurisdictions during fiscal year 2011. The Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program provides monetary compensation to local governments that contain National Forests, Bureau of Land Management public lands, National Parks and other lands dedicated to water re… Continue Reading
06.30.11
Murkowski Welcomes Sen. Lugar’s Efforts on Energy Legislation
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today made the following statement after Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) introduced his Practical Energy Plan: "Senator Lugar has again introduced a thoughtful bill that would strengthen our energy security and help save significant amounts of energy. I'm particularly grateful that he's recognized the tremendous energy resources located in my home state of Alaska. I appreciate his continued efforts to develop practical solutions to our energy c… Continue Reading
06.30.11
Murkowski Lauds USPS Decision To Not Halt Juneau Processing
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski received a letter from the United States Postal Service Alaska District manager, informing her that Juneau mail processing operations will not be moved to Anchorage. This comes just a month after the USPS decided to move Alaska's Western Area Distribution Office to Denver. The Senator today issued the following response: "In this economy, the lack of bad news can be considered good news - especially when it comes to Alaska's already-hamstrung postal… Continue Reading
06.30.11
Murkowski Gets Follow Through for Vets, Base Construction Work
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today succeeded in placing items in the 2012 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill that will reap physical, mental and emotional benefits for Alaska's military community - in the form of construction projects and a thorough vetting of the health care provided Alaska's veterans. "I'm proud of the language I included in this bill for Alaska's vets." said Murkowski. "It's more than words; it is a hard, tangible action for the men an… Continue Reading
06.29.11
Sen. Murkowski: Increased Oil Production Crucial to Future of TAPS
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski today released the following comment on the release of the Alyeska Pipeline Co.'s Low Flow Impact Study on the trans-Alaska oil pipeline: "This report clearly spells out the importance of finding and producing more oil to fill the pipeline if it is going to continue to operate consistently and provide the economic benefits the state and the country have come to rely on since 1977," Murkowski said. "This is why I have been pushing so aggressively to re… Continue Reading
06.29.11
Murkowski Bill Would Boost Alaska Village Development
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today introduced the Native American Challenge Demonstration Act (NACDA) of 2011 - with co-sponsors Senators Mark Begich and Daniel Akaka (D-HI) - to create the same opportunities for America's First People that countries worldwide receive, in terms of U.S. investment. "There's a lot of talk about nation-building and sending American funds around the world to needy areas," said Senator Murkowski. "But Alaska Natives all too frequently face the same chall… Continue Reading
06.28.11
Murkowski: Cook Inlet Assessment Shows Region’s Promise
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today released the following statement in response to the U.S. Geological Survey's new assessment of natural gas and oil resources in Cook Inlet: "The new assessment is good news for Southcentral residents. If these estimates prove correct, and if companies continue to invest in the region, we should have a reliable, long-term supply of natural gas to meet local power needs. "Perhaps the best news is that this new estimate reflects major r… Continue Reading
06.28.11
Murkowski Criticizes FEMA Juneau Flood Mapping Process
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski is asking the Federal Emergency Management Agency to rethink its revised Juneau flood plain maps that could end up costing residents hundreds or thousands of dollars in flood insurance annually - in a letter sent today. "These proposed flood maps based on approximations and estimates will end up costing Juneau homeowners real money, all due to flawed science." At issue in the controversy is whether homeowners were informed sufficiently about the process… Continue Reading
