Articles & Op-eds
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Congressional conference committee funds $295 million in Eielson F-35 construction
by Sam Friedman
FAIRBANKS - A congressional conference committee fully funded the military's request for $295 million in new Eielson Air Force Base construction Wednesday, restoring the $82 million F-35 weather shelter that the House of Representatives had cut from the budget. The 2017 budget bill funds many of the facilities that will be used for the new F-35 fighter jets, which are scheduled to arrive in 2020. The 2017 budget covers the largest construction year of F-35 construction build-up. The Eielson co… Continue Reading
06.23.16
Alaska Dispatch News: Let's keep all of Alaska's kids fed over the summer
by Suzanne Schafer
School is out for the summer. Our Alaska kiddos are running around in merriment, taking more dips in the many local swimming holes, camping and barbecuing with their families, experiencing a summer with record high temperatures. But, school being out for the summer is not all fun and games for all Alaska children. No school means no food for a needless number of our children. One in five children in Alaska live not knowing if they will have their next meal. Less than 15 percent of kids qualifyi… Continue Reading
06.22.16
Alaska Journal of Commerce: Interior budget bill takes another shot at King Cove road
by Elwood Brehmer
Alaska is a big part of the $32 billion bill headed to the Senate floor to fund the Interior Department, Environmental Protection Agency and the Forest Service. That shouldn't be surprising considering Sen. Lisa Murkowski chairs the Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee that drafted the legislation. The wide-ranging funding bill passed the Appropriations Committee June 16 on a 16-14 vote without Democrat support. "What we're trying to do is direct federal resources where they'r… Continue Reading
06.22.16
KTUU: Alaska's senators: Failed bills wouldn't have stopped Orlando shooting
by Kortnie Horazdovsky
ANCHORAGE As House Democrats staged a "sit-in" on the House floor in Washington, D.C. Wednesday, gun control measures are at the top of the minds of members of Congress. The U.S. Senate stalled movement on four different gun control measures Monday, with all four failing to reach the 60-vote threshold needed for a debate and forwarding vote. Two of the measures were proposed by Democrats, two by Republicans. Alaska's two Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both voted for two … Continue Reading
06.22.16
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Murkowski, Sullivan vote with party as gun purchase proposals fail in U.S. Senate
by Weston Morrow
FAIRBANKS-All four amendments addressing the purchasing of guns failed in the U.S. Senate on Monday, with Alaska Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan voting for the two GOP amendments and against the two Democratic proposals. The amendments went down mostly along party lines. The voting took place just more than a week after 49 people were killed and 53 more people were wounded by a person who opened fire in a gay nightclub in Orlando. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kent… Continue Reading
06.20.16
Juneau Empire: Letter: Murkowski leads on energy innovation
by James Dozier
"Is Murkowski part of the climate problem?" (June 13) just doesn't have all the facts on U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski's record of protecting Alaskans and providing for a healthy environment and economy. As Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee, Murkowski has acknowledged the impact our changing climate has on Alaska's environment and has taken action. Murkowski and her committee have supported the responsible development of all of our natural resources, including renewables su… Continue Reading
06.14.16
KTVF: Murkowski Fights Wotus Rule
by Staff Reporter
Senator Lisa Murkowski announced legislation today, through an Interior Appropriations Bill, that will block the Environmental Protection Agency's 'Waters of the United States', or WOTUS rule. Murkowski has long opposed the rule that she says would expand the EPA's ability to regulate Alaska's land and water.Her legislation imposes a one-year delay on the implementation of WOTUS. Her bill also facilitates a land transfer between the state and the federal government, allowing the construction of… Continue Reading
06.13.16
Fox News: Alaska Republicans back bill to prevent ObamaCare meltdown in state
by Adam Shaw
Alaska Republicans are joining with Democrats in taking drastic action to save the state's ObamaCare insurance system from spiraling into crisis, as all but one insurer flee the state and health care costs soar. While state Republicans remain largely opposed to the health care law, the GOP-dominated legislature passed a bill earlier this month that aims to prevent massive premium hikes and keep the ObamaCare system afloat for the thousands of residents already in the system. The measure was int… Continue Reading
05.24.16
Alaska Dispatch News: Congress takes a big step toward funding a new $1 billion Arctic icebreaker
by Erica Martinson
WASHINGTON - Alaska moved significantly closer to seeing a new Arctic icebreaker Tuesday as a Senate appropriations subcommittee added $1 billion to a bipartisan funding bill for a Navy-built ship. The move marks a major step forward in a yearslong campaign by Alaska lawmakers and others who say the U.S. needs to mind its dwindling Arctic infrastructure, particularly as a melting ice cap makes way for increased commercial shipping traffic and Russian military activity raises national security c… Continue Reading
05.22.16
Op-Ed: An energy bill for Alaska
by Senator Lisa Murkowski
In late April, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly approved a major energy bill for the first time in almost a decade. The Energy Policy Modernization Act is a broad rewrite of our increasingly outdated policies in this area. As you might expect, it reflects extensive input from Alaskans and contains dozens of provisions that will provide lasting benefits for our state. The first thing to say about this bill is: it's about time. The last time the Senate passed a significant energy bill was in 2007. … Continue Reading
05.09.16
Op-Ed: Moda's exit from Alaska insurance market reflects what ails Affordable Care Act
by Senator Lisa Murkowski
Alaskans have seen time and time again the negative impacts the Affordable Care Act is having on our state. I have shared the stories of hard-working Alaskans who are paying over $2,000 per month for the cheapest bronze plan available on the exchange. I have spoken on the Senate floor about how the ACA has been called the "single greatest threat" to quality public education, because school districts face hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines under the Cadillac Tax. And I have relayed stories… Continue Reading
04.24.16
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Energy bill home stretch: Sen. Murkowski’s legislation to modernize energy policy for Alaska, U.S.
by Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Editorial
Senate passage of the first comprehensive federal energy bill in a decade took months of negotiating, but Sen. Lisa Murkowski can attest to the fact that it was worth the fight. The landmark legislation, which Sen. Murkowski authored, will make a host of needed changes to U.S. energy policy, emphasizing renewable energy sources and efficiency while also cleaning up permitting for issues related to fossil fuels. The bill's final hurdle before heading to President Barack Obama for final passage in… Continue Reading
04.20.16
Alaska Dispatch News: Murkowski's energy bill passes Senate after months of delays
by Erica Martinson
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Lisa Murkowski scored a big win Wednesday when the Senate passed her energy bill -- the first in nearly a decade -- loaded with provisions to bolster renewable energy, clear the way for natural gas out of Alaska and even rename some federal land for a former Alaska governor. Last year Murkowski set up camp on the centerline, pledging to craft a bipartisan energy bill as chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, with help from the committee's ranking member, Sen. Ma… Continue Reading
04.15.16
KUCB: Murkowski Pushes For King Cove Road
by Zoe Sobel
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski continues to push for reliable emergency medical transportation to King Cove. Murkowski says the only solution for the community of 900 is an 11 mile gravel road connecting King Cove to Cold Bay through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. In a hearing Thursday morning she says, "it is time to ensure that King Cove finally has reliable access to emergency medical transportation -- something that virtually every other American takes for granted." Audubon Alaska sup… Continue Reading
04.01.16
Alaska Dispatch News: King Cove and Murkowski grumble over federal report on refuge road alternatives
by Erica Martinson
WASHINGTON -- Advocates for an emergency medical road out of King Cove took aim at the U.S. Interior Department this week for essentially burying a $100,000 study on alternatives to allowing a road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. The report is the latest turn in a decadeslong fight between the city of King Cove and the federal government over a proposed gravel road that would cut a 10-mile path through the refuge. Residents say the road is needed for medical evacuations from the r… Continue Reading
03.31.16
Alaska Dispatch News: Murkowski didn't have to do any pushups to be named one of fittest US senators
by Erica Martinson
WASHINGTON -- A fitness website has named Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski one of the "top 10 fittest senators," noting her active lifestyle and interest in healthy foods. The list, posted this month by the website Health Fitness Revolution, isn't exactly scientific but a breakdown based on "interviews, Internet, library, industry literature" and the health and fitness knowledge of the site's founder, Samir Becic. Murkowski and other senators on the list "deserve recognition because they are great … Continue Reading
03.28.16
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Sen. Murkowski holds oil and gas development panel in Fairbanks
by Weston Morrow
FAIRBANKS - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski convened a panel of oil and gas industry stakeholders in Fairbanks on Monday to share solutions for increased economic growth in Alaska. Murkowski, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, convened the panel as a field hearing of the committee at the Fairbanks Pipeline Training Center, though she was the only senator present. Several dozen community members attended the hearing, however, many of whom organized in front of the complex bef… Continue Reading
03.14.16
KTVF: Murkowski Presses For Better VA Care In Alaska
by jrlewis
Alaska U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski continued to press the leadership of the Department of Veterans' Affairs over issues with the current VA healthcare system in Alaska. Following up on her discussions about the failings of the "Choice Card" Program in Alaska, she questioned VA Secretary Robert McDonald on the lessons learned from his August 2015 visit to the state, whether or not he understands the unique challenges veterans in Alaska face, and his plans to fix those issues. Secretary McDonald… Continue Reading
03.09.16
E&E News: Murkowski, Tidwell spar over Tongass old-growth logging plan
by Scott Streater
A Forest Service draft plan to end old-growth logging at Alaska's Tongass National Forest sparked several tense exchanges yesterday between the agency's head and Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Murkowski, chairwoman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, asked Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell to hold off on advancing the plan to move from old-growth to new-growth logging in Tongass until completing a detailed inventory to ensure there is actually enough young-growth timber… Continue Reading
03.02.16
Alaska Public Media: Murkowski: Where’s that Arctic port?
by Liz Ruskin
When President Obama was in Alaska last year, he said he wanted to advance plans for a deepwater port in the Alaskan Arctic, possibly in Nome. Today, Sen. Lisa Murkowski followed up on that with the head of the Army Corps of Engineers. "Given the President's support for this, why have we not included construction funding going forward in this next fiscal year?"Murkowski asked. The assistant Army secretary for the Corps, Jo-Ellen Darcy, says her agency and the state of Alaska put the port f… Continue Reading
