Articles & Op-eds
The Hill: Top health officials pledge to keep politics out of COVID-19 vaccine process
by Jessie Hellmann
Top federal health officials tried to reassure lawmakers on Wednesday that politics will not play a role in determining whether a COVID-19 vaccine is approved, amid fears that President Trump is politicizing the process. "Science and science alone will be the way in which this decision is made, otherwise I'll have no part in it," Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, told members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Trump has suggested that a … Continue Reading
08.31.20
The Hill: OPINION: Child care has always been essential to our economy — let's start treating it that way
by Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Suzanne Clark
The COVID-19 pandemic's economic and societal disruptions have highlighted an important truth: child care is essential to our return to work and our nation's recovery. Parents heal our sick, stock our shelves, design our products, and run our businesses-and, as any parent knows, those roles are secondary to our main job: raising and protecting our children. So, if we want to get parents back to work, we have to prioritize child care. The economic benefits of child care are well documented. We … Continue Reading
08.31.20
Environmental and Energy Study Institute: New Act Highlights Little-Known Pathway to Absorb Carbon Emissions
by Anna McGinn and Joseph Glandorf
The Blue Carbon for Our Planet Act (H.R.5589/S.3939) draws attention to a little-known-but critically important-pathway to absorb carbon emissions: coastal wetland ecosystems that act as carbon sinks, otherwise known as "blue carbon" ecosystems. Blue carbon ecosystems, which include mangroves, marshes, and seagrass, store disproportionately large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) but are increasingly under threat. A blue carbon ecosystem acts as a highly effective carbon sink because wetland plan… Continue Reading
08.28.20
KTVA: Cold Case Office in Alaska will investigate cases of missing and murdered Indigenous people
by Danielle Rivera
Anchorage is now home to one of seven cold case offices opening across the country that will be dedicated to investigating hundreds of cases of missing and murdered American Indian and Alaska Native people. While the work has already begun, Alaska's congressional delegation, tribal leaders and public safety officials in Alaska gathered for a ceremony to formally announce the cold case office which will tackle the organization and prioritization of cold cases, assign and investigate those cases,… Continue Reading
08.28.20
Refinery 29: This Fertility App Shared Data Without User Consent. Here’s How Senators Are Fighting Back
by Molly Longman
Senators are urging the Federal Trade Commission to look into a fertility app that's allegedly engaged in shady data sharing practices. Premom paints a rosy picture of trying to get pregnant. The website features dewy blades of grass and smiling pregnant people holding lavender. It boasts that it's a "simple, effective, and affordable solution for all trying to conceive." But there's nothing simple about the allegations against the company. Premom's Android app was collecting a wide range of dat… Continue Reading
08.23.20
Anchorage Daily News: ‘Permanency navigators’ help Anchorage’s homeless youths find housing and stability
by Paula Dobbyn
Keegan Cranston-Stuckey used to wander Anchorage's streets at night, trying to keep herself awake and alive. Every day was a struggle to stay safe and fed, especially when she found herself pregnant. The 22-year-old, who gave birth last month to a healthy son, ended up without shelter after she aged out of Covenant House Alaska, which serves homeless youths 13 and older and young adults. Although Cranston-Stuckey often felt sick because of her pregnancy, she remained on the street until relentl… Continue Reading
08.23.20
Daily Energy Insider: Alaska lawmakers applaud DOE authorization of Alaska LNG project
by Dave Kovaleski
The Alaska Congressional delegation voiced their support for the Department of Energy's order authorizing the Alaska LNG project to export liquefied natural gas (LNG). The Alaska LNG Project is an 800-mile pipeline project that includes a treatment facility and a liquefaction facility. It is the nation's largest energy infrastructure project. "A final export license from DOE is an important asset for Alaska LNG," Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said. "After the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission … Continue Reading
08.18.20
Smithsonian Magazine: Women Senators Reflect on the 100th Anniversary of Suffrage
by Meilan Solly
When suffragist Jeannette Rankin was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1916, she made a prescient prediction: "I may be the first woman member of Congress. But I won't be the last." One hundred and four years later, a record-breaking number of women sit in both congressional chambers, with 26 serving in the Senate and 105 in the House. Now, on the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which extended the franchise to (mostly white) women on a federal… Continue Reading
08.17.20
Anchorage Daily News: The federal government will hold an ANWR lease sale. But drilling would be more than a decade away
by Alex DeMarban
The Trump Administration on Monday set the stage for a lease sale in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in the coming months, but industry observers and Alaska leaders say oil won't flow for years. Drilling in the sensitive coastal plain faces strong resistance, questions about future demand for oil and vows from large banks not to invest in the region, they said. But some said that while litigation could slow the lease sale, the promise of a large discovery in a little-explored land land, wh… Continue Reading
08.13.20
KTVA: Murkowski and other senators call for extension of Census 2020 deadline
by Jennifer Summers
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski is part of a bipartisan group asking for more time for the Census Bureau to complete the 2020 census. Murkowski and Sen. Brian Schatz, (D) Hawaii, are leading a group of 48 senators from both sides of the aisle who are calling for an extension of the census deadline because of logistic delays caused by COVID-19. The group of senators is suggesting the deadline change be included in the next COVID-19 relief package. "Extending the deadlines for the delivery of these … Continue Reading
08.12.20
Forbes: Worried About The Safety And Effectiveness Of The Covid-19 Vaccine? The SAVE Act Aims To Make Transparency A Priority
by Robert Gladder, MD
As Russia debuts its new Covid-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, and begins to inoculate some of its citizens without extensive testing regarding its safety or efficacy, concern regarding the pressure to get a vaccine safely to market here in the United States via Operation Warp Speed has many people concerned, and rightfully so. While vaccine trials typically take many years until a viable vaccine comes to market, the reality is that these are not normal times. But the process to produce a safe and effec… Continue Reading
08.11.20
Cordova Times: Landslide preparedness legislation introduced in Senate
Legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash, has been approved with bipartisan support and now heads to the U.S. House for consideration. S.529, the National Landslide Preparedness Act, would target key gaps in current science and mapping that are critical to understanding landslide hazards and risks, Cantwell said. A major landslide four miles east of Oso, Washington on March 22, 2014 collapsed an unstable hill, sending mud and debris to the south across the Still… Continue Reading
08.05.20
KTVA: Murkowski praises executive order geared at improving rural health care
by Jennifer Summers
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski is praising an executive order signed by President Trump to improve rural health and telehealth access. The order states the COVID-19 public health emergency has increased the use of telemedicine across the country by limiting access to in-person visits. This prompted the administration to help patients get better access to health care providers. Murkowski calls telehealth crucial technology, especially for Alaska. "In Alaska, telehealth has been vital for some time… Continue Reading
08.04.20
CNN: 3 senators introduce legislation aimed at increasing transparency in vaccine approval process
by Lauren Mascarenhas
Three US senators released bipartisan legislation Tuesday aimed at increasing safety and transparency around the approval of a coronavirus vaccine for emergency use in the US. Sens. Maggie Hassan, a Democrat from New Hampshire, Mike Braun, a Republican from Indiana) and Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, said they introduced the Safe Authorization for Vaccines during Emergencies (SAVE) Act in part to improve public confidence in a potential vaccine amid some concerns that safety is being… Continue Reading
07.28.20
KTUU: Missing and murdered indigenous women cold case office to open in Anchorage
by Gilbert Cordova
Seven Cold Case Task Force offices across the nation, dedicated to solving cold cases involving missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives, are opening in the next few weeks, one expected to open in Anchorage. The Anchorage office is expected to open on August 27. Other nationwide offices include: Rapid City, SD; Billings, MT, Albuquerque, NM, and Phoenix, AZ. Tuesday morning U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski sent out a news release applauding the establishment of the offices. "Addres… Continue Reading
07.28.20
KTVA: Federal task force on missing, murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives to open Anchorage office
by Jennifer Summers
Alaska is scheduled to have a federal cold case task force office working on missing and murdered American Indian and Alaska Native cases. The office in Anchorage will open on Aug. 27 and it will be one of seven across the country. The offices were established by the Trump administration through an executive order signed in November of 2019. The order created the Operation Lady Justice Task Force to address the number of missing and murdered American Indian and Alaska Natives in tribal commun… Continue Reading
07.27.20
World Nuclear News: US Senate passes Nuclear Energy Leadership Act
The US Senate has passed the Nuclear Energy Leadership Act (NELA) after it was included as an amendment to an act authorising defence appropriations and policies for fiscal 2021. NELA aims to re-establish US leadership in nuclear energy, with a focus on the demonstration of advanced reactors. NELA (S 903) was introduced as an amendment to the National Defense Authorisation Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (NDAA, S 4049) by Senators Lisa Murkowski and Cory Booker during a floor debate on 23 July. The ND… Continue Reading
07.22.20
KTUU: Senators Sullivan and Murkowski commend the Air Force’s Arctic Strategy
by KTUU
Senators Sullivan and Murkowski are expressing their approval of the Air Force's Arctic Strategy. The strategy "lays out an expansion of the competitive space in the Arctic under four lines of effort: vigilance in all domains, projecting power through a combat-credible force, cooperation with allies & partners, and preparation for Arctic operations. Importantly, this strategy also emphasizes continued work and collaboration with Alaska Native communities," said Sullivan's office in a press … Continue Reading
07.21.20
Business Wire: Over 16,000 Rural Alaskans Get Access to High-speed Internet, Thanks to Alaska Communications Broadband Network Expansion
Alaska Communications (NASDAQ: ALSK) has achieved a milestone in its broadband network expansion program, reaching over 16,000 rural Alaska residents with high-speed internet, with a goal of serving more than 32,000 rural Alaskans. The program started in 2017 and will continue through 2025. Communities now served with new or upgraded internet speeds include Delta Junction, Fairbanks, Homer, Hope, Kenai, Klawock, Larsen Bay, Ninilchik, North Kenai, North Pole, Seldovia and Soldotna. The company p… Continue Reading
07.07.20
KDLL: Federal aid, Kenai program deadline extended
by Elizabeth Earl
The deadline for businesses to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program was extended last week and now runs until August 8. The PPP offers loans to businesses for relief from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. These loans become grants and don't have to be paid back as long as 60 percent of the money is used for payroll and other eligible expenses. The program surfaced in March, and while many businesses applied for it then, others were left out. Notably, commercial fishermen were largel… Continue Reading
