Murkowski Secures Key Alaska Priorities in Appropriations Package
Washington, DC — U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today highlighted major Alaska priorities secured in an appropriations “minibus” bill that moves Congress closer to avoiding a January 30 funding lapse for key federal agencies. H.R. 6938 includes the Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS), Energy and Water Development (EWD), and the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) bills. With this package of appropriations bills, Murkowski helped to ensure core investments critical to Alaska’s economy, public safety, infrastructure, and scientific leadership.
“While tough choices were made, we protected the priorities that matter most to Alaskans: our fisheries, public safety, energy security, Arctic research, and coastal infrastructure,” Senator Murkowski said. “This is exactly why the regular order appropriations process matters—it allows us to come together and build a product through compromise that meets the needs of our people and communities. With passage of these three bills, we have completed half of the appropriations for FY26, and we are pressing hard to complete the remaining bills before the end of January.”
FY26 Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) Appropriations Highlights
Protecting Alaska Fisheries and Coastal Communities
Alaska’s seafood industry continues to endure a variety of challenges, including competitive markets that are manipulated by Russia, rising costs, and declining stocks. Senator Murkowski focused on using the CJS bill to strengthen Alaska fisheries and coastal communities through targeted and measured increases.
Key wins include:
- $7 million increase for Fisheries Data Collections, Surveys, and Assessments. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) depends on this data for fishery management and conservation to keep oceans and fisheries healthy.
- $2 million increase for the Fishery Survey Contingency Fund, bringing total funding to $6 million. This funding provides augmentation capacity for NOAA to ensure robust fishery stock assessment surveys.
- $10 million for Saltonstall-Kennedy Grants to help promote, develop, and market U.S. fisheries.
- $500,000 increase for the Pacific Salmon Treaty, funded at $42 million, supporting cooperative fishery management between the United States and Canada.
- Full funding for fishery stock assessments, management councils, Sea Grant, salmon management and treaty obligations, interjurisdictional fisheries grants, and electronic monitoring and reporting.
- $65 million for NOAA vessel recapitalization, maintaining critical shipbuilding capacity necessary for fisheries surveys and Arctic operations.
Strengthening Weather, Tsunami, and Ocean Monitoring
Alaska is the most seismically active state in the nation and faces additional threats from hazards such as volcanoes, landslides, and tsunamis. Alaska’s often-severe climate also demands robust infrastructure to monitor weather and ensure the safety of our people.
Senator Murkowski ensured that relevant federal programs were fully funded. The bill also includes a $5 million increase for the National Data Buoy Center to enhance real-time maritime safety in Alaska, as well as a $5 million increase for the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), which provides tools and forecasts to improve safety, protect the environment, and support fishermen.
Investing in Arctic Science and Research
Senator Murkowski is a leading voice on Arctic policy and has relentlessly pushed for investments critical to a comprehensive U.S. Arctic strategy. The bill preserves strong support for Arctic and polar research, including $250 million for the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) EPSCoR program, which builds local STEM capacity.
The bill also reinforces NSF support for Arctic research and Tribal engagement, while maintaining congressional intent for NASA cryospheric science and polar observation missions to better understand Alaska’s rapidly changing environment.
Advancing Public Safety and Justice in Alaska
Alaska’s vast, remote terrain and rural population present unique public safety challenges. Senator Murkowski again focused on addressing these needs by securing funding and oversight provisions across the Department of Justice.
- Continued support for Violence Against Women programs, including increases for STOP Grants, Sexual Assault Services, and Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner programs.
- Investments in Tribal and statewide justice programs, including youth mentoring, drug courts, veterans’ treatment courts, and the Regional Information Sharing System.
- Retention of strong oversight language for DOJ and FBI operations, including reporting requirements related to the relocation of the FBI headquarters and field office staffing.
In addition to broader programmatic funding to help Alaskans, Murkowski was able to secure investments in the CJS bill that are specific to 17 Alaska communities or entities—projects that were requested and prioritized by local governments, Tribal organizations, and Alaska-based institutions:
- Anchorage: $305,000 for the Anchorage Police Department to enhance the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, supporting efforts to identify, investigate, and prosecute child sexual predators.
- Bethel: $70,000 for the City of Bethel to upgrade security systems at the Bethel Police Department, improving safety for officers and the public.
- Cordova: $355,000 for the Prince William Sound Science Center to purchase an oceanography profiler, supporting long-term climate and ecosystem monitoring in the region.
- Dillingham: $3.5 million for the Bristol Bay Science and Research Institute to conduct in-season genetic analysis to reduce bycatch of Western Alaska chum salmon in the Bering Sea pollock fishery.
- Ketchikan: $3 million for the City of Ketchikan to replace its radio communication system, an essential public safety upgrade identified following recent landslides to improve emergency response and community resilience.
- Valdez: $5.5 million for the City of Valdez to replace obsolete and failed emergency services communication towers and equipment, strengthening emergency response capabilities.
- Statewide: $1.5 million for the University of Alaska Fairbanks to improve salmon counting through the development of drone-borne maritime lidar technology.
- Statewide: $1.5 million for the University of Alaska Anchorage to support a Biotechnology Research Commercialization Initiative, helping advance innovation and applied research leveraging Alaska’s unique Arctic environment.
- Statewide: $2 million for the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation to support the Alaska Seafood Modernization Initiative, investing in processing innovation, workforce development, and infrastructure improvements.
- Statewide: $2.5 million for the North Pacific Research Board to support the Northern Bering Sea Integrated Ecosystem Research Program.
- Statewide: $3.5 million for the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault to support services for survivors of gender-based violence across Alaska.
- Statewide: $1 million for the State of Alaska Department of Public Safety to provide physical addresses necessary to implement Next Generation 911, improving emergency response accuracy and system resiliency.
- Statewide: $500,000 for the Bering Sea Fisherman’s Association to build capacity for Tribes and Tribal organizations to participate as Cooperating Agencies in federal environmental analysis and decision-making processes.
- Statewide: $165,000 for the Alaska Ocean Observing System to deploy Imaging Flow Cytobots to monitor and detect harmful algal blooms in coastal Alaska waters.
- Southeast: $500,000 for Sealaska Heritage Institute to develop marine workforce programs for Alaska youth, supporting long-term workforce needs in fisheries and ocean sciences.
- Statewide: $498,000 for the Tanana Chiefs Conference to launch a Mobile Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) pilot program to provide coordinated care to survivors.
- Statewide: $1 million for the Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center to provide training and technical assistance to support survivor-centered and trauma-informed Tribal justice systems.
FY26 Energy and Water Development (EWD) Appropriations Highlights
Sustaining Alaska Energy Security and Innovation
Senator Murkowski ensured that her core energy priorities were preserved in the EWD bill while rejecting several proposed Administration cuts.
Key Department of Energy highlights include:
- $3.1 billion for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy programs, rejecting a proposed multi-billion-dollar reduction.
- Continued funding for the Weatherization Assistance Program and the State Energy Program, which help Alaskans make efficiency upgrades to lower costs and stay warm in the winter.
- $8.4 billion for the Office of Science, reinforcing National Labs, advanced computing, and Arctic science capacity.
- $75 million for Indian Energy activities to support Tribal energy development, as well as language to safeguard formula funding for tribal-led energy initiatives.
- Significant investments in electric grid infrastructure, including transformers and grid components.
- $3 million for the Arctic Energy Office, including $1 million to support the deployment of a microreactor at Eielson Air Force Base.
- Language supporting ARPA-E’s continued research and development of supporting cold climate and Arctic-centric topics.
- A mandatory report on how DOE can use existing funds to provide a loan guarantee for a natural gas pipeline in Alaska.
- The highest-ever funding level for the Water Power Program, including $30 million for private sector or university-led awards for innovative marine energy systems and language requiring DOE to expeditiously fund pre-approved and prospective tidal energy pilot projects in Alaska.
- Language urging DOE to allocate all available hydroelectric incentive funding to maintain affordable hydro-based power in Alaska and avoid fallback to diesel generation.
- $16.7 million to continue methane hydrate production, including for testing on the North Slope that will demonstrate how to successfully produce gas hydrates at commercial rates.
- $25 million to support research and development of geothermal technologies, including pilot projects that could take place in Alaska, and $100 million for enhanced geothermal system demonstrations.
- $71.5 million for research, development, and demonstration of carbon dioxide removal technologies.
Supporting the Denali Commission and Rural Infrastructure
The Denali Commission delivers some of the most cost-effective investments and services of the federal government by reducing administrative and overhead costs while providing on-the-ground knowledge and experience in the communities they serve. The agreement provides $18 million for the Denali Commission, including a $2.5 million bulk fuel set-aside, reinforcing its role in addressing energy security and safety in rural Alaska Native villages.
Advancing Alaska Ports, Navigation, and Coastal Mapping
Senator Murkowski ensured continued support for Alaska’s maritime infrastructure, including $18 million for the National Coastal Mapping Program, with no less than $6 million dedicated to Arctic coastal mapping, and $11.8 million for Inland Waterways Navigation Charts. The bill also strengthens reporting requirements to ensure equitable funding for remote and subsistence harbors across Alaska.
In addition to programmatic funding to help Alaskans, Murkowski was able to secure investments specific to three Alaska communities, projects that have been requested and prioritized by local governments and organizations:
- Nome: $41.6 million for the Port of Nome Modification project to expand port capacity, improve navigation safety, and strengthen Arctic maritime infrastructure.
- Juneau: $200,000 for Auke Bay navigation improvements to enhance safe vessel access in a heavily used marine corridor.
- Homer: $840,000 for studies to further substantiate existence, location and quality of potential geothermal resources on Mt. St. Augustine.
The FY26 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Highlights will be covered in a separate press release.
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