Articles & Op-eds
Bristol Bay Times: $23 million grant set aside for Emmonak dock
U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Rep. Don Young, all R-Alaska, announced a $23.1 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant for Emmonak, to construct a permanent dock and barge/landing craft ramp and to renovate approximately 3.5 miles of high-use service roads. The grant is through the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) program, previously known as TIGER grants, which provides support for capital projects that generate economic development and improve… Continue Reading
12.15.18
KTUU: Murkowski, Dunleavy respond to Zinke resignation announcement
by Beth Verge
Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke is set to depart his position in the administration at the end of the year, according to a tweet sent by President Donald Trump early Saturday. The president chose Zinke in December 2016 to serve in the cabinet-level position and said in a followup tweet that the White House would announce a replacement next week. Meanwhile, Sen. Lisa Murkowski said shortly after that she is disappointed Zinke will no longer continue his role within the Department of the In… Continue Reading
12.14.18
KTVA: Murkowski discusses quake recovery, federal aid
by Chris Klint
Alaska's senior U.S. senator visited the state Friday on a wide-ranging trip, addressing topics from federal assistance after the state's recent 7.0 earthquake to the prospects of a possible government shutdown over a pending appropriations bill. Lisa Murkowski spoke with reporters at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage. She said federal assistance has been proceeding well ever since rapid action from the executive branch on the day of the Nov. 30 quake. "We were on the phone with the Secretar… Continue Reading
12.14.18
KTVA: Alaskan gives Senate testimony on missing, murdered women
by Jennifer Summers
An Alaska Native testified Thursday in front of a U.S. Senate Committee addressing missing and murdered American Indian and Alaska Native women. Alaska's senior senator, Lisa Murkowski, was among those who heard testimony from Patricia Alexander, a representative of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. "While violence against Native women occurs at higher rates than any other ethnic group in the United States, it is at its worst in Alaska, Alexander said. "A fu… Continue Reading
12.06.18
Alaska Public Media: Murkowski: Disaster aid for Alaska likely to be linked to relief for California wildfires
by Liz Ruskin
The federal government has kicked in the first $5 million to help Alaska deal with the immediate effects of the earthquake. But the big money will have to come from Congress. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said disaster funds for Alaska will likely be included in a bill with aid for the victims of the California wildfires. "What we've been told is we'll have that opportunity when the wildfires are addressed in January," she told reporters at the U.S. Capitol. Congress is working on a disaster spending b… Continue Reading
12.05.18
KTUU: Murkowski, Sullivan say federal aid is on the way
by Richard Mauer
Alaska's two U.S. Senators toured the areas hit hardest by Friday's 7.0 Cook Inlet Earthquake and said federal relief was on the way. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both Republicans, said a supplemental funding bill for the Alaska quake and California wildfire disasters would likely come before Congress in January. The U.S. Transportation Department has already authorized $5 million for emergency road repairs. The time between now and January gives Alaskans the chance to develop an ac… Continue Reading
12.04.18
High Country News: Congress sends bill bolstering earthquake program to Trump
by Emily Benson
At 8:29 a.m. on Nov. 30, part of the rock slab underneath the Pacific Ocean 7 miles north of Anchorage, Alaska, shifted, causing a magnitude 7 earthquake. As Anchorage was preparing for the day, the quake ripped apart roads, shattered windows and ruptured water and gas lines in and around the city. While officials are still assessing the damage, the biggest impacts appear to be to infrastructure - there were no reports of deaths caused by the quake. The response to such an event is extensive an… Continue Reading
12.03.18
Cordova Times: Coast Guard Authorization Act heads to White House
by Margaret Bauman
The Coast Guard Reauthorization Act, which passed the U.S. Senate earlier this month, was approved by unanimous consent in the U.S. House of Representatives on Nov. 27, and now goes to the White House, where President Trump is expected to sign it by year's end. The bill, which is identical to one passed by the Senate on Nov. 14, includes the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act, which provides a permanent exemption for commercial vessels, including fishing vessels, under 75 feet from the need to obt… Continue Reading
11.30.18
Op-Ed: Taking Care of Our Military
by Lisa Murkowski
This month we gathered to honor our nation's heroes, those who have worn the uniform to protect our nation and defend our freedom. While Veteran's Day is a great opportunity to thank those who have served, that "thanks" cannot be limited to just one day. We should always remember to voice that gratefulness we have for the freedoms and liberties our military has secured for us and continues to protect. That's why we must do all we can to support those who have served -past and present. And this … Continue Reading
11.30.18
Fox News: Alaska earthquake claimed no lives, officials say, but infrastructure damage is another story
by Paulina Dedaj and Greg Norman
A 7.0 magnitude earthquake rocked the state of Alaska on Friday morning, churning up roads and sending office workers running to the streets in scenes locals described as pure "anarchy." The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was centered about five miles north of Anchorage, Alaska's largest city. Republican Rep. Donald Young said at a press conference Friday evening that an initial assessment found that the earthquake was not deadly. "We're quite pleased to report that there's been no… Continue Reading
11.30.18
Arctic Sounder: Alaska ranks fourth for missing and murdered indigenous women
by Shady Grove Oliver
As Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) noted on the Senate floor last year, Canada has invested more than $42 million in investigating the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls from its so-called Highway of Tears in British Columbia. "How much have we invested here?" she asked during a press conference on Nov. 14. "About zero," she said, looking around the room. "About zero is what we're told. We have more than a duty to act on this." Murkowski recently co-sponsored legislation calling o… Continue Reading
11.30.18
Anchorage Press: Alaska Delegation speaks out on Friday earthquake
U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Rep. Don Young, all R-Alaska, today issued the following statements after receiving a briefing from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Brock Long on the 7.0 earthquake which struck near Anchorage, Alaska Friday morning, causing extensive damage to infrastructure, such as roads and bridges. "It's been mere hours since this devastating earthquake took place in Alaska, but the delegation is very engaged with the situation. We are i… Continue Reading
11.28.18
KTVA: Murkowski, Feinstein bill to modernize earthquake safety will be signed into law
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that will update national earthquake preparedness programs. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski joined Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, to introduce the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act, which was unanimously passed by the Senate in September, according to a Tuesday news release. "I'm pleased that this important bill will soon be signed into law," Murkowski said in the release. "Alaskans face daily thr… Continue Reading
11.27.18
Arctic Today: New U.S. legislation speeds up the possibility of a Nome port
by Melody Schreiber
Last month, new U.S. federal legislation breathed new life into the possibility of a port in Nome. The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2018, part of a larger bill on water infrastructure, was signed into law on October 23. The legislation seeks to improve water infrastructure throughout the United States. The bill calls for expedited completion of several feasibility reports, including a "project for navigation" in Nome - the expansion of its existing port into a deep-draft port. If … Continue Reading
11.20.18
Rapid City Journal: THEIRS: Pollock purchase to help hurting Alaska fishermen
Alaska and the United States are wealthy by most standards; most Alaskans have what's absolutely necessary. So when another need arises, it's appropriate to work together to meet it. Such is the case with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's nutrition assistance programs. The USDA has decided to buy up to $30 million of Alaska seafood for its various nutrition programs. The seafood of focus is pollock. Now, it's not all about meeting the need of consumers. It will help the commercial pollock … Continue Reading
11.20.18
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: LETTER: FDA’s proposal on e-cigs can save Alaska kids
by Karen Perdue
While the headlines out of Washington seem to blare partisanship these days, a major bipartisan victory for public health - and for our kids - is happening right before our eyes. The Food and Drug Administration earlier this month proposed strict actions that will crack down on the access our kids have to e-cigarettes. Our own Sen. Lisa Murkowski had a huge role in the FDA's important steps. Sen. Murkowski has raised this issue tirelessly through letters, phone calls and meetings. She heard st… Continue Reading
11.15.18
Anchorage Daily News: Report cities weak police documentation on missing and murdered Native women
by Mary Hudetz
Numerous police departments nationwide are not adequately identifying or reporting cases of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls as concerns mount over the level of violence they often face, according to a study released by a Native American nonprofit Wednesday. The report from the Seattle-based Urban Indian Health Institute, the research arm of the Seattle Indian Health Board, was conducted over the past year amid worry in tribal communities and cities that Native American and Alask… Continue Reading
11.14.18
Indian Country Today: Urban Indian Health report identifies 506 urban Missing & Murdered Women, Girls
by Vincent Schilling
Murkowski comment on MMIW: While Canada has contributed 10's of millions to effort, "the U.S. has invested about zero." Researchers have looked at the data from 71 U.S. cities and have identified 506 cases of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIW / MMIWG). The report was released today by the Urban Indian Health Institute, a division of the Seattle Indian Health Board, titled Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls, a snapshot of data from urban cities in the United St… Continue Reading
11.14.18
Alaska Public Media: Report: Data lacking on murdered Native women
by Liz Ruskin
Indigenous women and girls are murdered or disappear from American cities in alarming numbers. But no one knows the true scope of the problem, because no one regularly reports the data. A new effort aims to spotlight both problems - the homicides of Native women, and the lack of data about their deaths and disappearances. At the U.S. Capitol, Sen. Lisa Murkowski wore purple Wednesday, because she said that was the favorite color of Ashley Johnson-Barr. "Ashley was 10 years old when she was bru… Continue Reading
11.07.18
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: LETTER: Thanks for banquet help
by Heather Rauenhorst
Outstanding first responders in dispatch, emergency medicine, firefighting and law enforcement were honored at the third Annual No One Left Behind Awards Banquet on Nov. 3. Thank you to Gov. Bill Walker, Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Sen. Dan Sullivan for congratulating award recipients and for recognizing community efforts to honor first responders and their families for their service. Thank you to student cadets from Lathrop and North Pole High School JROTC who volunteered over 100 hours to review … Continue Reading
