07.12.18

Murkowski: Infrastructure Investments, Timely Permits Crucial for Dependable Energy Supply

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today chaired a hearing to examine policy issues facing interstate delivery networks for natural gas and electricity, which was prompted by last month's oversight hearing of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The committee today dove more deeply into a number of issues impacting our nation's capacity to deliver affordable, clean, diverse, and secure energy. Murkowski opened the hearing by emphasizing the importance of energy delivery infrastruct… Continue Reading

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07.12.18

Murkowski Applauds Firefighter Cancer Registry Now Law

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) applauded the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act being signed into law, bipartisan legislation which creates a national registry for firefighters diagnosed with cancer. U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski was an original cosponsor of the bill. The bill directs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to study the relationship between career-long exposure to dangerous toxins and fumes and the frequency of cancer in firefighters to determine if there is a link. … Continue Reading

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07.11.18

Murkowski Proud to Host Secretary of Labor on Recent Visit to Alaska

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) this week hosted U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta in Alaska, his first visit to the state as the head of the federal Department of Labor. Murkowski and Acosta recently traveled to King Salmon and Naknek, where they attended a roundtable to discuss the unique challenges and vast opportunities of the Bristol Bay salmon fishery, including feedback from Alaskans and industry representatives on their experiences with the current H-2B Visa Program. Attendees in… Continue Reading

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07.10.18

Murkowski Secures Micro-Grants to Support Locally Grown Food

The U.S. Senate recently passed the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018. Included in this bill is a provision Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) authored-the Micro-Grants for Food Security program-that creates a new grant to help support Alaskans' ability to grow their own food. U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) co-sponsored the provision. "Alaska imports over 90 percent of our food. This results in high prices, especially in rural areas, and puts Alaskans at risk when trans… Continue Reading

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07.09.18

Murkowski Statement on Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) issued the following statement after President Donald Trump nominated Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh to be the next Supreme Court justice: "This evening the President nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to serve as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. While I have not met Judge Kavanaugh, I look forward to sitting down for a personal meeting with him. I intend to review Judge Kavanaugh's decisions on the bench and writings off the bench, and pay careful attenti… Continue Reading

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07.06.18

Sen. Murkowski Hosts Sec. Perdue in Southeast Alaska

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, yesterday hosted U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on Prince of Wales Island in the Tongass National Forest. The trip allowed the Secretary to visit the largest national forest in the United States and hear from local stakeholders about the need to build a stronger, more sustainable economy in southeast Alaska. "I appreciate Secretary Perdue and his team traveling to the Tongass to learn more about our need for greater access and economic opportunity… Continue Reading

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06.28.18

Secretary of Interior and Congressional Delegation Congratulate Alaskan Tara Sweeney on Confirmation as Assistant Secretary of the Interior

Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke and the Alaska Congressional Delegation today issued the following statements after the U.S. Senate unanimously voted to confirm Alaskan Tara Sweeney to be the next U.S. Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs at the Department of the Interior. "Congratulations to Tara on her confirmation. She is a results-driven team leader and coalition builder who has an impressive combination of business acumen and service to her community," said Secretary of the Interior… Continue Reading

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06.28.18

Murkowski: U.S. Natural Gas Can Help Power the World

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today delivered opening remarks for a panel discussion on "Access to Sustainable Energy in Developing Economies" at the 27th World Gas Conference, which is being held in Washington, D.C. The conference has attracted thousands of the most influential leaders, policymakers, and experts in the energy industry from more than 100 countries to discuss how natural gas will fuel the future. Murkowski speaking at the 27th World Gas Conference "Access to energy is f… Continue Reading

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06.27.18

Murkowski Statement on Justice Kennedy’s Retirement from Supreme Court

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today issued the following statement after Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his upcoming retirement: "I would like to thank Justice Kennedy for his decades of service to our country. As one of the very few westerners on the current court, he has served the court and our nation well. His retirement is a historic moment for the court because he was the swing vote in so many decisions of great consequence. I think he held the court together and did… Continue Reading

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06.27.18

Alaskan Communities to Receive Economic Boost

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) announced today that the Department of the Interior is distributing more than $32.3 million to eligible local governments across Alaska through the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program. The funding, which is allocated to local governments that contain non-taxable federal lands, provides for essential services in Alaskan communities such as firefighting and police protection, search-and-rescue operations, and the construction of public schools and roads. "With… Continue Reading

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06.26.18

Senate Passes First Fiscal Year 2019 Funding Package

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) recently voted in favor of a funding package, which combines the Energy and Water; Military Construction-Veterans Affairs; and Legislative Branch Appropriations bills for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019. The bill, also known as a "minibus," provides funding to further develop Alaska's strategic military presence, improve health services for veterans, support critical infrastructure projects, and promote energy innovation and investments in renewable energy. As a member o… Continue Reading

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06.26.18

Committee Reviews Four Energy Nominees

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today chaired an Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing to consider four nominees for the Department of Energy (DOE). The nominees were Teri Donaldson to be Inspector General; Dr. Christopher Fall to be Director of the Office of Science; Karen Evans to be Assistant Secretary of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response; and Daniel Simmons to be Assistant Secretary of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. "I'm very pleased to have a full… Continue Reading

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06.26.18

Senate Passes Minibus with Amendment to Strengthen U.S. Hydropower

U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., today secured passage of a number of hydropower-related provisions through a bipartisan amendment that was incorporated into H.R. 5895, the first FY 2019 appropriations package, by unanimous consent. Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., Steve Daines, R-Mont., Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., were also cosponsors of the amendment. H.R. 5895 passed the Senate today by a vote of 86-5. "I thank Sen. Manchin and my colleagues … Continue Reading

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06.22.18

Alaskans Provide Testimony During Senate Subsistence Hearing

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs this week held an oversight hearing to focus on promoting traditional subsistence in Native communities through testimonies from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Indian tribes regarding tribal subsistence activities and federal regulatory structures or circumstances which impede these activities. During the hearing U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), a member of the committee, introduced Alaskan Mary Sattler Peltola, Executive Director of the Kuskokwim In… Continue Reading

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06.22.18

Murkowski Welcomes New Hire and Summer Interns to Committee Staff

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today announced that Michelle Toohey has joined her Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee staff. She also welcomed four interns who are assisting the committee with various projects this summer: Alexandra Bender, Selia Butler, Kaiwi Eisenhour, and Michael McCambridge. "Michelle is a valuable addition to our team. She brings decades of public affairs and policy experience from her time in the Alaska Governor's office and in the Alaska State Legislature… Continue Reading

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06.21.18

Funding Bill Supports Arctic Security, Coast Guard Assets, and Mariner Safety

The Senate Appropriations Committee today approved the Homeland Security Fiscal Year 2019 Appropriations bill, sending it to the full Senate for consideration. The bill contains a number of priorities secured by U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), including investments to strengthen Arctic security, improve emergency response, and support the U.S. Coast Guard, including fully funding the design and construction of the first heavy polar icebreaker in more than 40 years. "This bill directs federa… Continue Reading

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06.21.18

Murkowski Introduces “Arctic” Farm Bill

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), introduced S.3080, the Food Security, Housing, and Sanitation Improvements in Rural, Remote, and Frontier Areas Act of 2018. This legislation includes a wide range of Alaska specific initiatives based on the input of stakeholders throughout the state. Provisions address priorities such as increasing food security; maintaining conservation efforts; expanding opportunities for trade; improving rural development, and bolstering research initiatives. The bill enco… Continue Reading

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06.20.18

Alaska Delegation Welcomes $56 Million in Disaster Relief for Alaska Fisheries

U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Rep. Don Young, (all R-Alaska), today welcomed a funding allocation announcement by the Secretary of Commerce for states and territories affected by recent fishery disasters. Alaska is receiving $56,361,332 in disaster funding, which will support compensation, recovery, and relief for fishermen, communities, and stakeholders affected by the 2016 Gulf of Alaska pink salmon fishery disaster. "The news of this disaster relief funding for Alaska is incre… Continue Reading

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06.19.18

Hatch, 12 Republican Senators Call on Justice Department to Pause Family Separations While Congress Works on Legislative Fix

Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) led a group of senators in sending a letter to US Attorney General Jeff Sessions calling for a halt to the practice of separating families who have illegally crossed the US-Mexico border. The letter petitions the administration to delay enforcement of this policy until Congress can pass legislation to keep families together. The letter has also been signed by Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Bob Corker (R-TN… Continue Reading

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06.19.18

Defense Bill Passes Senate

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voted in favor of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2019, legislation which supports our troops through the biggest pay raise in nearly ten years and provides our military with the resources needed to face emerging threats and protect Americans at home and abroad. The bill passed in a 85-10 vote. "It is imperative that we support our troops with the resources, equipment, and training they need to do their jobs and kee… Continue Reading