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 Secures $21.4 Million for Interior Alaska Training Range and Permanent Fix for Alaska Territorial Guard
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has secured $21.4 million for enhancements to the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex in Interior Alaska as part of a $636.3 billion Fiscal Year 2010 military appropriations bill that cleared the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee today. "With these funds, the U.S. Military will be able to accomplish a number of projects including improving the road infrastructure throughout the compl… Continue Reading
08.28.09
Murkowski Welcomes 9th Circuit Court Ruling on 2007 Beaufort Sea Oil and Gas Lease
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today welcomed the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that the Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service's oil and gas lease sale in the Beaufort Sea in 2007 was valid. "This decision is good news for Alaska and for the nation's energy security," Murkowski said. "I've always felt that the MMS met the 'hard look' standard in their environmental assessment of the 2007 lease sale." The court's decision will allow Shell Alas… Continue Reading
08.28.09
Murkowski Welcomes Lifting of Moratorium on Medicaid Applications for CMS
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today welcomed the decision by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to lift the moratorium on Medicaid applications for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) program in Alaska. On June 29, Sen. Murkowski called and urged HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to address the moratorium swiftly. At the time, there was a 2,000 case patient evaluation backlog that was deemed unlikely to be solved by September 1, 2009, w… Continue Reading
08.26.09
Murkowski Comments on the Passing of Senator Edward Kennedy
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, issued the following statement following the passing of Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy: "I am saddened at the passing of my colleague, Edward Kennedy. A dedicated public servant who often led some of the most spirited debate in the history of the Senate, Sen. Kennedy was one of the great lions of the Senate and he had significant influence on the laws enacted during his lifetime. "Since arriving in the Senate, I have been impressed wi… Continue Reading
08.24.09
Murkowski Announces Details for Town Hall Meetings on Health Care in Wasilla and Soldotna
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today announced that her town hall meetings on health care will be held in Wasilla on Friday, August 28, 2009, from 10:00 a.m. - noon at the Menard Sports Center and in Soldotna on Saturday, August 29, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. - noon at the Soldotna Sports Center."I have heard from thousands of Alaskans about the health care proposals currently being debated in Congress," said Murkowski. "As a member of the Senate Health Committee, I voted again… Continue Reading
08.21.09
Delegation Announces Grants to Alaska Programs
Washington, D.C. - The Alaska Congressional Delegation is pleased to announce the following grants awarded to communities in the State of Alaska: Environmental Protection Agency - $236,900 to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation to improve water quality in Alaska's lakes, rivers and streams. Funds awarded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Corporation for National and Community Service - $126,708 to Rural CAP to fund eight AmeriCorps Me… Continue Reading
08.19.09
Murkowski Announces Reopening of Kenai Peninsula Office
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today announced that she will reopen an office to serve the Kenai Peninsula on Saturday, August 29, 2009, and welcome constituents with an open house that day from 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. "I am pleased to be re-opening this office that will serve the needs of my constituents on the Kenai Peninsula," said Murkowski. "This office will enable me to continue serving my constituents efficiently with a local office dedicated to handling casework a… Continue Reading
08.19.09
Murkowski, Begich Staffs to Visit Palmer for Alaska State Fair
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R- Alaska, and Mark Begich, D-Alaska, today announced that members of their staffs will be on site in Palmer at the Alaska State Fair from August 27-September 7, 2009, to meet with constituents as part of their 2009 mobile office tour. Mobile office staff will be available at the fair weekdays from noon - 10:00 p.m. and on weekends from 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. Mobile office staff will also be available on Labor Day (September 7) from 10:00 a.m. - … Continue Reading
08.17.09
Murkowski to Hold Anchorage Field Hearing on U.S. Arctic Policy
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today announced that she will hold a field hearing on the strategic importance of the Arctic and U.S. Arctic Policy on Thursday, August 20, 2009, from 2:30 - 4:30 p.m. at the UAA/APU Consortium Library, Lew Haines Memorial Room (room 307). This hearing will be held by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, of which Sen. Murkowski is a member. Witnesses scheduled to testify at the hearing include Alaska Gov. Sean Parnel… Continue Reading
08.17.09
Murkowski Announces Details for Town Hall Meeting on Health Care in Anchorage
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today announced that her town hall meeting on health care will be held in Anchorage on Thursday, August 20, 2009, from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. at A.J. Dimond High School. "I have heard from thousands of Alaskans about the health care proposals currently being debated in Congress," said Murkowski. "As a member of the Senate Health Committee, I voted against the Democrat bill that passed the committee last month. There were many problems with t… Continue Reading
08.17.09
Sen. Murkowski Applauds Kensington Mine Decision
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today welcomed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' decision to re-issue Coeur Alaska's tailings permit for the Kensington mine in Southeast Alaska. "This is a decision that's both good for the environment and Southeast's struggling economy," Murkowski said. "Kensington will provide hundreds of badly needed jobs and tax revenue while having a minimal affect on the environment." Development of the mine is expected to create more than 300 jo… Continue Reading
08.10.09
Murkowski Announces Alaska Travel Schedule for August
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today announced her plans to travel around Alaska during the August congressional recess. Highlighting her plans are four health care town hall meetings that Sen. Murkowski will hold across Alaska.Sen. Murkowski's health care town halls will take place in Fairbanks on Thursday, August 13, Anchorage on Thursday, August 20, Wasilla on Friday, August 28, and Soldotna on Saturday, August 29. "This August promises to be a busy one for me as I t… Continue Reading
08.06.09
Murkowski Announces Details for Town Hall in Fairbanks on Health Care
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today announced that her town hall meeting on health care will be held in Fairbanks on Thursday, August 13, 2009, from 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. at the Pioneer Park Theatre. "I have heard from thousands of Alaskans about the health care proposals currently being debated in Congress," said Murkowski. "As a member of the Senate Health Committee, I voted against the Democrat bill that passed the committee last month. There were many problems with… Continue Reading
08.05.09
Murkowski Addresses Senate on the Judge Sonia Sotomayor Supreme Court Nomination
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, tonight addressed the Senate on the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the United States Supreme Court. Following is a prepared text of Sen. Murkowski's floor speech: PREPARED REMARKS OF SENATOR LISA MURKOWSKI ON THE NOMINATION OF SONIA SOTOMAYOR AUGUST 5, 2009 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY The decision whether to confirm a President's nominee to the Supreme Court is one of the most significant decisions any of us will make dur… Continue Reading
08.05.09
Murkowski Calls on Forest Service to Release Plan on Firefighting Aircraft
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today expressed disappointment with the Forest Service's planning for maintaining sufficient firefighting aircraft resources after review of an audit of the plan conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Inspector General. Two weeks ago at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on wildfire preparedness, Murkowski called on the Forest Service to provide Congress with a report on how it plans to com… Continue Reading
08.04.09
Murkowski Resolution Recognizes National Airborne Day
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The United States Senate has passed a resolution introduced by U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska and Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island designating Sunday, August 16, 2009 as National Airborne Day. The resolution, S. Res. 235, passed the Senate Monday evening and was cosponsored by 29 Senators, including U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska. National Airborne Day commemorates the successful first jump of the Army Parachute Test Platoon on August 16, 1940, which helped cont… Continue Reading
08.04.09
Senators Send Letters in Support of Kensington Mine
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Mark Begich, D-Alaska, on Monday sent two letters to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers urging the agency to quickly complete permitting of the Kensington gold mine in Southeast Alaska. The first letter detailed the senators' concerns with recent efforts by the Environmental Protection Agency to intercede in the permitting of the mine, despite a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the Corps was the proper permitting agency. … Continue Reading
08.03.09
Murkowski Saves Program to Help Alaska Communities Facing High Energy Costs
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, successfully turned back an effort by the White House and a leading senator to strike a $17.5 million high energy cost grant program important to Alaska rural communities that was included in a $124.5 billion Senate Agriculture Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2010 under debate in the Senate. U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, offered an amendment to strike the high energy cost provision sponsored by Murkowski, saying that the g… Continue Reading
08.03.09
Sen. Murkowski’s Statement on the Passing of Lu Young
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, released the following statement on the passing of Congressman Don Young's wife, Lu: "Verne and I were deeply saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Lu Young, a true Alaskan who loved her state and its people dearly. Anyone who visited Congressman Young's Washington, D.C., office was wrapped in the presence of Lu Young, and the office will not be the same without her. "Lu and Don were a true team, and her presence was fel… Continue Reading
07.31.09
Delegation Announces Grants and Contracts to Alaska Programs
Washington, D.C. - The Alaska Congressional Delegation is pleased to announce the following grants and contracts awarded to communities in the State of Alaska: U.S. Department of Agriculture: $154,875 to the City of Kasaan in order to complete a Preliminary Engineering Report and Environmental Report to design a new water treatment plant and water tank. $75,000 to the Kokhanok Village Council in order to complete a Preliminary Engineering Report and an Environmental Report for a p… Continue Reading
