05.27.16

Murkowski Calls for Fixes to Flawed VA Choice Act Program

On the eve of Memorial Day weekend, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) spoke on the Senate floor to further describe the failings of the VA Choice Card Program in Alaska and outlined what steps need to be taken to ensure that Alaska veterans have access to quality healthcare, no matter where they live. (Click image to view Senator Murkowski's floor speech.) Murkowski opened her remarks by explaining that prior to the Choice Act being implemented, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) had dev… Continue Reading

---

05.27.16

Murkowski Presses Interior on Mismanaged Efforts to Clean-up NPR-A Legacy Wells

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, sent a letter to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell asking for more information surrounding mistakes reportedly made by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the cleanup of legacy wells in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A). In her letter, Murkowski cites specific incidents where BLM's actions and lax oversight have threatened human safety and further environmental damage. "I have received reports that BLM has not been requiring it… Continue Reading

---

05.26.16

Murkowski Introduces Three New Bills to Boost Alaska

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today introduced three targeted pieces of legislation that would improve the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANSCA), assist the Alaska Mental Health Trust, and reconstitute the Alaska Land Use Council. These bills reflect Murkowski's continued efforts to protect and advance her home state's priorities. "The legislation I introduced today will help Alaska Native communities, improve the management of our federal lands, and facilitate a … Continue Reading

---

05.26.16

Murkowski Welcomes Next Step in Energy Bill Process

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today welcomed action by the House of Representatives to appoint conferees and go to conference on S. 2012, the Energy Policy Modernization Act. The House's action today is the latest in the legislative process for Murkowski's energy bill, which passed the Senate in April by a bipartisan vote of 85 to 12. "Today's naming of conferees by the House is an important milestone in our efforts to craft a broad, bipartisan bill - and a critical ste… Continue Reading

---

05.26.16

Murkowski Secures Major Investments for Military in Alaska

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today announced a series of significant victories for Alaska in the Fiscal Year 2017 Defense and Homeland Security appropriations bills, which were unanimously approved this morning by the Senate Appropriations Committee. Through her position on the Appropriations Committee, including both the Defense and Homeland Security Subcommittees, Murkowski advocated for and secured full funding for a new Polar icebreaker, new investments in the Coast Guard that will inc… Continue Reading

---

05.25.16

Sens. Murkowski, Cantwell, Wyden, Crapo, Risch Work to Improve Forest Management and Wildfire Budgeting

Today, U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.; Ron Wyden, D-Ore.; Mike Crapo, R-Idaho; and Jim Risch, R-Idaho released draft legislation aimed at improving forest management and wildfire budgeting. The bipartisan discussion draft reflects the work of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to examine and find solutions for these issues over the past two congresses. The bill uses a cap adjustment to end the practice of fire borrowing similar to the bipartisan Wildf… Continue Reading

---

05.25.16

Murkowski: Proposed BLM Rule Would Significantly Disadvantage Alaskans

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, sent a letter to Neil Kornze, Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), calling on the agency to drop its proposed Resource Management Planning (RMP) rule. In her letter sent Tuesday, Murkowski raises substantive and procedural concerns about the rule, which could weaken Alaska's voice in land management decisions made by the federal government. "[The proposed rule] abdicates responsibility of the agency to keep apprised of local lan… Continue Reading

---

05.24.16

Murkowski’s Campaign to Construct a New Polar Icebreaker Moves Closer to Reality

Today the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, of which U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is a member, added $1 billion to fully fund construction of the first U.S. Polar Icebreaker in over 25 years. "This is a significant victory in my decade-long fight to turn our nation's focus to the Arctic and embrace our role as an Arctic nation. This is the first tangible demonstration that we are committed to fulfilling the responsibilities associated with our strategic geography. I have long fo… Continue Reading

---

05.20.16

Murkowski Works to Support Alaska’s Fisheries and Critical Nutrition Programs

The Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously approved the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Fiscal Year 2017 appropriations bill, sending it to the full Senate for consideration. The bill contains a number of priorities U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) secured for Alaska, including provisions that will both protect American consumers and support Alaska's vital fishing industry. These provisions include a labeling mandate for genetically engin… Continue Reading

---

05.19.16

Military Construction, VA, and Transportation Funding Bill Passes the Senate

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today the U.S. Senate passed H.R. 2577, the THUD/MILCON-VA Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2017, by a vote of 89-8. The bill contains numerous Alaska-specific provisions secured by U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), including $561 million to support crucial defense projects in the state. It also addresses critical healthcare issues in the Alaska VA, and includes support for transportation programs that provide vital services for many Alaskans. Military Construction: Mur… Continue Reading

---

05.19.16

Murkowski Calls for Senate Action on Affordable Care Act

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) spoke on the Senate floor to outline the numerous ways the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has failed Alaskans and the rest of the nation, and called for action in the Senate to repeal and fix this unworkable law. The speech comes on the heels of Moda Health announcing its withdrawal from the Alaskan market in 2017, which forces nearly 14,000 Alaskans to change insurers next year and leaves Alaskans with only one option for health insurance on the individual market. … Continue Reading

---

05.18.16

Murkowski Introduces Foreign Spill Protection Act

Today U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the Foreign Spill Protection Act of 2016, ensuring taxpayers are not stuck with the bill if oil from a foreign spill spreads into American waters. As the law currently stands, responsible parties would only face up to $1 billion in damages for oil spills that originate in other countries' waters and eventually impact American waters. The Foreign Spill Protection Act amends the Oil Pollution Act (OPA) of 1990 by correcting a gap to make it possi… Continue Reading

---

05.18.16

Murkowski, Sullivan, Young Press Interior on Alaska OCS Development

Washington, D.C. - Alaska's congressional delegation - Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Rep. Don Young - on Tuesday sent a letter to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell urging the Department to keep all three lease sales proposed for Alaska's OCS in the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's (BOEM) final Five-Year Program for the years 2017 to 2022. "The areas under consideration for leasing in Alaska's OCS contain vast resources that our nation will need to maintain its economy and security.… Continue Reading

---

05.17.16

Murkowski: Our Nation Must Lead on Nuclear Energy

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today conducted oversight of the innovation taking place in the nation's advanced nuclear industry. Murkowski highlighted a range of emerging technologies, the need to remove barriers to their domestic deployment, and the importance of the United States remaining the global leader on nuclear energy. Click picture to view video "We are entering a new era for nuclear power. The opportunity for innovation in nuclear technologies has not been … Continue Reading

---

05.13.16

Senators Honor Heroes of the Last Frontier

The U.S. Senate passed a resolution (attached), introduced by U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Alaska State Troopers and honoring the "first responders of the last frontier" and their families for their service and sacrifice. In 1941, the 15th Territorial Legislature established the Alaska Highway Patrol, an organization created for the sole purpose of enforcing the traffic code in the territory. That organization grew and evolved into what… Continue Reading

---

05.12.16

AK Delegation Calls for International Cooperation on Canadian Mines

Amid concerns about how the development of several hardrock mines in British Columbia could negatively affect waterways and fisheries in Southeast Alaska, Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young wrote a letter (attached) to Secretary of State John Kerry, urging for action. The Alaska Congressional Delegation called upon the Secretary to raise these issues and concerns at the international level and secure commitment from Canadian leaders to ensure that the appropriate en… Continue Reading

---

05.12.16

Murkowski Secures Funding for Water Projects and Energy Innovation

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today the U.S. Senate passed the first funding bill of the year, the FY17 Energy and Water Appropriations bill in a vote of 90-8. This is the first time since 2009 the U.S. Senate has passed this appropriations measure on the floor as a standalone bill under regular order. The measure will fund U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) programs and critical infrastructure projects administered by the Army Corps of Engineers. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Lisa Murk… Continue Reading

---

05.12.16

Murkowski: DOE’s Inspector General Must Be Fully Independent and Exercise Good Judgement

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today examined the qualifications of Susan Beard to be inspector general of the Department of Energy. Murkowski, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, asked Beard about her qualifications and called attention to the significance of the position of inspector general at a hearing held earlier today. Click picture to view video "I think we can all agree that the Department of Energy needs a permanent Inspector General… Continue Reading

---

05.06.16

Murkowski, Cantwell Call on Sec. Moniz to Work with Israel on Advancing Energy Innovation

U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the committee's ranking member, on Thursday sent a letter to Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz seeking information on the department's lack of movement on the U.S.-Israel Energy Center. "We wrote to you on May 12, 2015, asking that you work to establish a cutting-edge, United States-Israel Energy Center focused on academic and industry research to advance energy innovatio… Continue Reading

---

05.04.16

Murkowski Introduces Legislation to Create Firefighter Cancer Registry

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has joined with Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) to introduce S. 2799, the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act. The bill creates a voluntary national database of firefighters diagnosed with the life-threatening disease. Research suggests that throughout their career, firefighters are exposed to harmful toxins which create an increased risk for several major cancers. The legislation would establish a central registry to collect data and improve research activities on … Continue Reading