Articles & Op-eds
The Hill: Murkowski Questions Value of Icebreaker Repairs
by By Ramsey Cox
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said she isn't convinced refurbishing one of only two polar icebreakers is a smart federal investment. Murkowski visited the Polar Sea, which is stationed in Seattle. The ship was commissioned in 1977 and has recently needed major repairs. "After seeing the Polar Sea firsthand, I am even more concerned with the status of the U.S. icebreaking fleet. This vessel was a workhorse for decades but is far from being returned to active duty," Murkowski said Tuesday. "I… Continue Reading
10.09.14
APRN: 50th Annual AVCP Convention Kicks Off in Bethel
by By Daysha Eaton
Leaders from around the state gathered in Bethel Tuesday for the 50th Annual Association of Village Council Presidents Convention. Dignitaries and political leaders form across the state attended. The Association of Village Council Presidents Convention opened at the cultural center in Bethel Tuesday. Julie Kitka, President of the Alaska Federation of Natives was the keynote speaker. She reported on two major wins in the courts for Alaska Natives this year, highlighting a federal judge's order… Continue Reading
09.30.14
Op-Ed: Alaskans Deserve a Fix for Obamacare
by By Sen. Lisa Murkowski
It has now been more than four years since then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi explained to Americans why she had to push the health care reform bill through in such a rush: "We have to pass the bill to find out what's in the bill ... and get away from the fog." Now it is 2014, the fog is lifting, and we are watching the "Affordable Care Act" (ACA) fall apart under its own weight, and contradictory legal interpretations. The Obama administration has now unilaterally delayed or changed over 3… Continue Reading
09.26.14
CQ Weekly: Russia's Arctic Grab
by By Megan Scully, CQ Staff
President Barack Obama has described the Arctic as "peaceful, stable and free of conflict." Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski calls the icy region a "zone of peace." White House analysts and government agencies have put the odds of a military clash in the Arctic about as high as war on the moon. But heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow threaten to upend an era of Arctic collaboration and cooperation. Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea has already begun shifting the di… Continue Reading
09.23.14
KTNA 88.9 FM: FDA Considers Backing Off New Spent Grain Regs
A new change in a proposed FDA regulation could mean good news for farmers in the Upper Valley. The regulation in question regards controls for animal feed. The original proposal would have made it more costly for brewers to sell or donate spent grain to farmers across the country. A press release from Senator Lisa Murkowski's office on Monday says that the FDA is now considering exempting brewers, and other businesses that are already licensed to produce food for humans, from the new animal … Continue Reading
09.22.14
Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman Editorial: In Search of Solutions to VA Staffing
Would it be too bold of us to say that perhaps the Veterans Administration could solve the issue of how to provide care to Valley veterans without its meager clinic in Mat-Su? We aren't advocating for its closure. But we do appreciate the out-of-the-box work around that is serving VA patients during this time when the clinic is staffed with just one nurse practitioner. A press release arrived today saying the VA will increase by $25,000 to $35,000 what it pays in-coming doctors and dentists. W… Continue Reading
06.16.14
OP-ED: Standing Up for Every Child
The statistics sound like they come from another county. A one in five chance of committing suicide, a one in ten chance of being abused, twice as likely to be placed in foster care, and a one in three chance of living in poverty. But these are the odds, right here, in the United States for Native American children living in North Dakota, Alaska, Oklahoma, California, and across the country today. Most Americans are vaguely aware of the problems confronting Native Americans, particularly on … Continue Reading
09.24.13
A good salmon flip-flop
Changes in government policy concerning seafood aren't always welcomed in Alaska, but a change noted by U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski on Monday is good news indeed for Alaska's fishing industry. The General Services Administration has refused, upon review of their policies, to allow non-governmental organizations that "certify" sustainable fishing practices to dictate the sources of fish the federal government purchases, according to a release from Murkowski's office. The fact is, third party "cert… Continue Reading
09.06.13
Murkowski honored by NRECA
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association has presented Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, with a distinguished service award for her leadership in support for rural electrification. "Senator Murkowski is a true friend of electric cooperatives and a leader on energy issues," said Jo Emerson, chief executive officer of NRECA, who presented the award to Murkowski on Aug. 29. "Her bipartisan approach to solving some of our country's most difficult problems offers a bright spot in our nation'… Continue Reading
09.03.13
Gold miners near Chicken cry foul over 'heavy-handed' EPA raids
When agents with the Alaska Environmental Crimes Task Force surged out of the wilderness around the remote community of Chicken wearing body armor and jackets emblazoned with POLICE in big, bold letters, local placer miners didn't quit know what to think. Did it really take eight armed men and a squad-size display of paramilitary force to check for dirty water? Some of the miners, who run small businesses, say they felt intimidated. Others wonder if the actions of the agents put everyone at ri… Continue Reading
08.31.13
Alaska Sens. Murkowski, Begich pressing on Eielson's future
FAIRBANKS-Alaska's two U.S. senators continued their push this week to convince the Air Force to keep a squadron of F-16 fighter aircraft at Eielson Air Force Base. Sen. Mark Begich, in a Friday interview from Anchorage, said he is "80 percent assured that the F-16s will continue to be placed here at Eielson." Begich, a Democrat, said he met recently with Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, the Air Force chief of staff, and came away feeling positive about Eielson's future. "I feel very good where we are… Continue Reading
08.31.13
Interior Secretary Hears From King Cove Residents on Proposed Izembek Land Exchange
KING COVE, Alaska - Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell spent Friday in King Cove, hearing from community leaders and residents on a controversial land exchange proposal that would allow King Cove to complete a road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, to neighboring Cold Bay. Frequent stormy weather prevents many flights into and out of King Cove. Cold Bay has an all-weather airport that King Cove residents say they need access to, especially when there is a medical emergency. "In … Continue Reading
08.27.13
OP-ED: Save lives with a road from King Cove to Cold Bay
The proposal to build a life-saving road to connect the Alaska Peninsula communities of King Cove and Cold Bay is most persuasive when you listen to the stories of those who live there. Della Trumble watched the plane carrying her daughter crash when it tried to land at King Cove's treacherous airport in 2010. That's why she has spent her life fighting for a road to cross a small sliver of the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge to the all-weather airport at Cold Bay. Or consider the story of Sar… Continue Reading
08.09.13
Murkowski sportsmen's bill picks up support, but politics may hamper passage
An Alaskan senator's bill to promote hunting and fishing opportunities on federal lands has picked up the support of some of her high-ranking Republican colleagues, though Democrats remain on the sidelines. Sen. Lisa Murkowski's S. 1335 includes a bipartisan measure to require the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service to facilitate hunting, fishing and target shooting on hundreds of millions of acres of federal lands. Other provisions would reauthorize a revenue-neutral land acquisition… Continue Reading
07.30.13
Murkowski's U.S. Energy Trust Fund deserves support
LONDON, July 30 (Reuters) - In a small, specialist corner of the U.S. Senate, lawmakers are demonstrating how much can be achieved with a more bipartisan approach to policy. Lisa Murkowski, the senior senator from Alaska and highest-ranking Republican on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has published a discussion draft for a law that would establish an Advanced Energy Trust Fund. The draft ³American Energy Innovation and Production Act² would create a Trust Fund to pay for … Continue Reading
07.14.13
EDITORIAL: Oversee Spying - Senator's 2003 Effort is Relevant in 2013
Shortly after Lisa Murkowski's arrival as a new senator in Washington, D.C., she put a substantial amount of her time into an idea that ultimately didn't get far - curbing the ability of federal agencies to spy on U.S. citizens with virtually no oversight. A decade later, the topic is suddenly all the rage. That must be simultaneously frustrating and gratifying to Alaska's senior senator. In July 2003, just eight months after becoming a senator, Murkowski publicly launched what became a multi… Continue Reading
07.11.13
Senators Revamp Offshore Revenue Sharing Plan to Ease Budget Impact (CQ)
A pair of senators introduced new legislation Wednesday revamping their proposal to boost the revenue from offshore drilling that is shared with coastal states, in an attempt to minimize the bill's budgetary impact. Like an earlier version (S 630), the draft legislation sponsored by Sens. Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, would direct as much as 37.5 percent of the revenue from offshore energy production in federal waters - both fossil fuel and renewable - to the coffers of… Continue Reading
07.11.13
Op-Ed: Diversity - Immigration Reform Bill Honors America's Key to Greatness
In the shadows of the Chugach, the Anchorage neighborhood of Mountain View is a bustling community that boasts the most diverse census tract in the entire United States of America, according to recent research. Walking down the street or entering a restaurant, you encounter a wide range of Alaskans speaking dozens of different languages. It's our own 907 'melting pot,' and there are dozens of such areas around our state where the wide range of backgrounds can be seen through our clothes, food an… Continue Reading
06.19.13
Murkowski Shares Thoughts on Marriage Equality with Alaskans:
Not too long ago, I had the honor of nominating an Alaskan family as "Angels in Adoption," a celebration of the selflessness shown by foster care families and those who adopt children. They arrived in Washington, DC, a military family who had opened their doors to not one child but four siblings to make sure that these sisters and brother had the simplest gift you can give a child: a home together. We had lunch together, and they shared their stories with me. All the while, the children polit… Continue Reading
06.19.13
OP-ED: Murkowski Shares Thoughts on Marriage Equality with Alaskans
Not too long ago, I had the honor of nominating an Alaskan family as "Angels in Adoption," a celebration of the selflessness shown by foster care families and those who adopt children. They arrived in Washington, DC, a military family who had opened their doors to not one child but four siblings to make sure that these sisters and brother had the simplest gift you can give a child: a home together. We had lunch together, and they shared their stories with me. All the while, the children polit… Continue Reading
