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.

06.30.17

Murkowski Welcomes First Step on New Offshore Leasing Plan

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today issued the following statement after President Donald Trump announced that the Department of the Interior has taken the first step toward a new Five-Year Program for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) energy development. "I'm pleased the administration has wasted no time in starting the process for a new and better plan that could increase offshore development in Alaska and elsewhere," Murkowski said. "With technological innovation, offshore development is n… Continue Reading


06.29.17

Murkowski: Alaska Will Greatly Benefit from Bipartisan Energy and Natural Resources Bill

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, this week introduced S. 1460, the Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017 (ENRA), as the successor to her broad, bipartisan bill from the last Congress. This new measure will help Alaskans produce more energy, pay less for energy, facilitate needed infrastructure, boost the innovation of new technologies, and protect sportsmen's access to federal lands-all without raising taxes or adding to the deficit. "This new bill encompasses a wide range of Alaska prior… Continue Reading


06.29.17

Senators Murkowski and Cantwell Introduce Broad, Bipartisan Energy and Natural Resources Bill

U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the committee's ranking member, this week introduced S. 1460, the Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017 (ENRA). The bill is the successor to their broad, bipartisan legislation from the previous Congress and was placed directly on the Senate Calendar for expedited floor consideration. Focused on a wide range of energy and natural resources opportunities and challenges, EN… Continue Reading


06.29.17

Murkowski Questions EPA Administrator Pruitt on Budget Priorities

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) chaired an Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2018. During the hearing, Murkowski questioned EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt on numerous priorities for Alaska- ranging from reducing spending at the EPA, mining in the Bristol Bay region, air quality issues in Fairbanks, diesel generator regulations, and efforts to keep our air and water cle… Continue Reading


06.29.17

Donnelly, Murkowski Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Address Workforce Shortage to Confront Opioid Epidemic

U.S. Senators Joe Donnelly (D-IN) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) announced today that they introduced the Strengthening the Addiction Treatment Workforce Act (S.1453). Their bipartisan legislation would help address the shortage of providers who treat people battling substance use disorders by making addiction treatment facilities eligible for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) student loan repayment and forgiveness program. This bill would allow mental health and addiction treatment facilitie… Continue Reading


06.28.17

Murkowski Welcomes EPA Move to Rescind Burdensome WOTUS Rule

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) released the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposed rule to rescind the previous administration's "Waters of the United States" (WOTUS) rule. The agency intends to re-codify the regulatory text that existed prior to 2015 as it works on a less burdensome long-term replacement. "The WOTUS rule was one of the most controversial finalized by the Obama administration. Some 31 states, including Alaska, sued to block … Continue Reading


06.28.17

Murkowski Statement on Commissioner Honorable’s Upcoming Departure from FERC

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today issued the following statement after Commissioner Colette Honorable announced that her final day at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) will be June 30, 2017. "Commissioner Honorable has served with distinction. While I did not agree with her on every issue, she has been an outstanding regulator, and I wish her and her family well. Although I understand and respect Commissioner Honorable's decision to step down this week, her departure again… Continue Reading


06.27.17

Murkowski: 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 $29.69 million to eligible local governments throughout Alaska. These payments are made to boroughs and counties across the United States that contain federal lands to help offset the cost of maintaining community services, such as first responders, public schools, and road construction. Unlike private lands, federal lands are not subject to local taxes, often making it difficult for r… Continue Reading


06.22.17

Murkowski: DOE Must Help Strengthen U.S Leadership in Energy Innovation

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today chaired an oversight hearing held by the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources to examine the U.S. Department of Energy's $28 billion budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2018, a $2.7 billion reduction from the current fiscal year. Murkowski opened the hearing by welcoming Secretary Rick Perry back to the committee for the first time since his bipartisan Senate confirmation on March 2. While noting that she agrees with parts of the Department's budget re… Continue Reading


06.22.17

Murkowski Welcomes Results of Cook Inlet Lease Sale

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today issued the following statement after the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) held a lease sale in Alaska's Cook Inlet. The lease sale was the first to be held in Alaska's federal offshore waters in almost a decade. "This lease sale is good news for the future of affordable energy in southcentral Alaska, and a good sign for our ability to develop more of the prolific resources in Alaska's… Continue Reading


06.22.17

Senator Murkowski Questions Secretary Zinke Over Interior Budget

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) chaired the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on the FY 2018 Budget Request for the Department of the Interior. Her opening remarks reflected Alaskan needs, highlighting areas of concern in the budget, such as the need for adequate funding for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and areas of support, such as the proposal to open up the 1002 Area within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for energy developmen… Continue Reading


06.21.17

Murkowski: Interior Working to Increase Access to Alaska’s Lands and Waters

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today chaired an oversight hearing held by the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources to examine the U.S. Department of the Interior's $11.7 billion budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2018, a reduction of more than $1 billion compared to the current fiscal year. Murkowski opened the hearing by welcoming Secretary Zinke back to the committee for the first time since his strong bipartisan Senate confirmation on March 1. "I have enjoyed working with you durin… Continue Reading


06.20.17

Murkowski Marks 40th Anniversary of Trans-Alaska Pipeline

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today commemorated the 40th anniversary of the first barrel of oil moving through the 800-mile long Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez. Murkowski marked the occasion by speaking on the Senate floor about TAPS' history, from the discovery of oil at Prudhoe Bay to how the pipeline has fueled Alaska's economy and strengthened the energy security of our nation. (As a teenager, Senator Murkowski sits in a section of the pipeline during… Continue Reading


06.20.17

Murkowski Applauds Alaskan Appointed to NOAA Fisheries Role

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) released the following statement congratulating Alaskan Chris Oliver on his appointment to serve as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Assistant Administrator for Fisheries. "I am thrilled Chris Oliver will be serving in this important role. It's not only good for Alaska, but for the entire nation. Chris's experience, passion, and background - including his time served as Executive Director of the North Pacific Fishery Management Coun… Continue Reading


06.15.17

Legislation Holding Iran, Russia Accountable Passes Senate

Today the U.S. Senate passed S.722, the Countering Iran's Destabilizing Activities Act of 2017, co-sponsored by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). This legislation both upholds and strengthens existing U.S. sanctions against Iran, and includes an amendment to impose new sanctions on Russia. "We now know that the Obama administration's flawed Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action has not caused Iran to abandon its destabilizing ambitions. It continues to test ballistic missiles, engages in provocative … Continue Reading


06.15.17

Murkowski Joins Legislation Protecting Medical Marijuana From Federal Interference

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) joined Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Rand Paul (R-KY), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Al Franken (D-MN) to introduce bipartisan legislation requiring that the federal government respect state marijuana laws. The Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States (CARERS) Act allows Americans to gain access to the care they need by protecting patients from federal intervention in states with existing medical marijuana laws. "There rema… Continue Reading


06.15.17

Murkowski: Forest Service Should Promote Healthy Forests, Prosperous Economies for Alaskan Communities

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today chaired an oversight hearing held by the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources to examine the U.S. Forest Service's $4.7 billion budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2018, which would be about $880 million less than the previous fiscal year. Murkowski opened the hearing by noting that when making tough funding decisions, Congress must ensure the Forest Service has the resources it needs to meet basic forest health needs before funding other programs. "… Continue Reading


06.14.17

Murkowski Land Transfer Bill Passes Committee

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs passed S. 825, legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) to transfer the title to the land and buildings within the Mt. Edgecumbe Sitka campus to the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC). SEARHC has been managing operations of Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital since 1986, but must hold an unencumbered title to the land for much needed upgrades and expansion. "SEARHC is an Alaska Native controlled non-profit tribal organization, admi… Continue Reading


06.13.17

Murkowski Seeks Marijuana Law Clarity for Alaskans

Today U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) pressed Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in a Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on the inconsistencies between state marijuana laws and the federal policy. As Alaska is one of the states regulating the broader sale and use of marijuana in the same way as alcohol, Murkowski questioned Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein on how the federal government is preempting state policy regarding marijuana use and possible pol… Continue Reading


06.09.17

Senators Introduce Young Fishermen’s Development Act

U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) yesterday introduced the Young Fishermen's Development Act, legislation to mitigate the challenges facing new entrants into the fishing industry and bolster recruiting by coordinating existing regional training opportunities and implementing a new apprenticeship program. "Fishing employs more Alaskans than any other industry in the state, but high barriers and costs remain for newer gene… Continue Reading

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