12.18.15

Murkowski Announces Interior Provisions in Year-End Omnibus Bill to Benefit Alaska

Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today announced a series of provisions within the year-end omnibus budget package that will approve, support, and fund a broad range of initiatives important to Alaska. Murkowski secured many of the provisions through her role as Chairman of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, which provides Alaska with a strong voice in federal budget negotiations. Today the Senate voted on the bill which passed in a vote of 65-33. (Sena… Continue Reading

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12.17.15

Senator Murkowski Releases Statement on Fairbanks Four

Today Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) shared her thoughts on the outcome of the 'Fairbanks Four' case: "I am pleased that the State of Alaska agreed to set aside the convictions of the Fairbanks Four based on the new evidence that has been developed and that Judge Lyle has accepted the settlement agreement today. I first took up the cause of the Fairbanks Four in 2013, asking the State of Alaska to take a hard look at whether their convictions were just. I concurrently asked the US Department of … Continue Reading

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12.17.15

Murkowski Works to Support Alaska’s Fisheries and Protect Consumers through Omnibus Bill

Today U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) welcomed the addition of multiple provisions she sponsored in the year-end budget bill to fund the federal government that will both protect American consumers and support Alaska's vital fishing industry. These provisions include a labelling mandate for genetically engineered (GE) salmon, a change in nomenclature of Alaska pollock to minimize consumer confusion, support for visa programs that provide much-needed workers during the busy fish processing sea… Continue Reading

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12.17.15

Senator Murkowski Ensures Fully-Funded Wildfire Budget

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today highlighted her efforts to ensure that the omnibus appropriations bill included language to fully fund wildfire suppression efforts for the rest of Fiscal Year 2016. As part of her remarks, delivered this afternoon on the Senate floor, Murkowski reiterated that a long-term wildfire and forestry management bill is one of her top priorities as chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. "It should go without saying that our nation'… Continue Reading

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12.16.15

Murkowski: End of the Year Package Could Have Big Impacts on Alaska

Congress has reached an agreement on a year-end spending and tax package that sets federal funding levels for the next year and extends a series of tax breaks. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), as a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, had a major role in crafting the final package. The spending bill sustains Alaska's contribution to national defense, funds the delivery of the benefits that our veterans have earned, protects our fisheries, and fulfills the federal government's comm… Continue Reading

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12.16.15

Murkowski: Oil Export Ban Repeal is Win for Alaska, Nation

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today welcomed inclusion in the year-end spending bill of language she has long championed to repeal the decades-long ban on crude oil exports. "Allowing oil exports is an important step forward in ensuring that our energy policies reflect our nation's renewed abundance of resources. Not only will oil exports help safeguard our long-term economic prosperity, but it will also spur job creation across the country and deliver much-needed revenue to state and lo… Continue Reading

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12.10.15

Murkowski: Terrorism Should Prompt Renewed Focus on Energy Security

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today highlighted terrorism and instability throughout the Middle East, Africa, and other oil-producing regions as reasons for policymakers to focus on greater domestic energy production and greater energy security. Murkowski, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, made her comments Thursday morning during a hearing she convened to examine the intersection between terrorism and global oil markets. She also criticized a group of Se… Continue Reading

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12.09.15

Murkowski: America’s Public Lands Should be Open Unless Closed

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today spoke on the Senate floor to highlight important legislation she has sponsored to provide millions of sportsmen and sportswomen with greater access to and new opportunities on public lands. Murkowski, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, urged her Senate colleagues to support her Sportsmen's Act (S. 556), which she shepherded through the committee in November. That measure, along with a measure (S. 659) being considered by the… Continue Reading

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12.09.15

Murkowski: Energy Vital to National Security

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today highlighted three reports produced during the past year by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources majority staff on the growing volatility in Iraq, the rise of ISIS and its black market oil sales, and the relationship between global petroleum outages and instability. "Understanding what's happening when it comes to the links between terrorism and the sale of oil into the world market will inform our own policies as we seek to ensure that America and o… Continue Reading

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12.08.15

Murkowski: National Park Centennial Opportunity to Ensure Sustainability for Next 100 Years

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today urged National Park Service (NPS) officials to look for innovative ways to fund the nation's park systems on the 100th anniversary of the agency and to take steps to meet the evolving needs of the next generation of visitors. Click picture to view video of Murkowski's opening statement. "The centennial offers us a chance to ensure the national park system's sustainability for the next 100 years. And it will take a serious effort to achieve that g… Continue Reading

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12.07.15

Sen. Murkowski Highlights Alaska’s Leadership in Energy Innovation

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, this week highlighted the energy innovation occurring in some of Alaska's most isolated communities as local leaders seek to reduce the cost of electricity through a variety of cutting-edge technologies. Click here to view video of Thursday's event Speaking Thursday at an event hosted by The Hill newspaper on microgrids and innovation, Murkowski said that integrating a mix of local renewable resources - hydro and wind, chiefly - is a way for many Alaska co… Continue Reading

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12.03.15

Murkowski Votes for Long-Term Highway Bill

Today U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski voted on the final version of the transportation funding agreement, the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, which passed by a vote of 83-16. The legislation provides funding for our nation's surface transportation needs over the next five years, from highways to ferries and railroads. Senator Murkowski was a member of the surface transportation conference committee to negotiate the differences between both the House of Representatives and the U.… Continue Reading

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12.03.15

Murkowski on Senate Floor: “For Whom is the Affordable Care Act Affordable?”

As the Senate begins to take a series of votes to repeal key provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski spoke on the Senate floor to lay out how the ACA is drastically harming the people of Alaska. Senator Murkowski referred to specific examples from Alaskans, including families, small businesses, and school districts across the state, who have reached out to share the financial burdens the failed healthcare law is placing on them. In her speech, Murkowski outlined… Continue Reading

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12.03.15

Federal Government Has Failed to Keep Promises Made in ANILCA

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today called for the federal government to live up to the promises made in the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), legislation that was signed into law 35 years ago that has helped protect many of Alaska's most treasured lands. Click photo to view video of Murkowski's opening statement. "The 35th anniversary of ANILCA is an opportunity to examine how the law has - and has not - worked for Alaskans and all Americans. This is also a per… Continue Reading

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12.03.15

Chairman Murkowski: Democrats’ Wilderness Proposal Dead On Arrival

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today dismissed a new bill from a group of Senate Democrats to formally designate the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as permanent wilderness. "I will do everything in my power to make sure this misguided effort does not advance another inch after today," Murkowski said. "Once again Alaska is again being attacked by a group of senators who wish to impose President Obama's destructive agenda. Instead of recognizing that the surf… Continue Reading

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11.25.15

Alaska WWII and Korean War Veteran Looks Back on 27 Years of Service

Today Senator Murkowski is releasing her 26th Veteran Spotlight interview, focusing on the military service of WWII and Korean War veteran Robert Grant of Anchorage. Grant was just 18 years old when he volunteered to join the U.S. Army where he served as a ball turret gunner for the Army Air Corps in the 486th Bombardment Group. After being stationed in England during WWII, flying over Germany, he later went on to be a radar observer in the 319th Fighter Squadron during the Korean War. His milit… Continue Reading

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11.25.15

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Tammy Baldwin Introduce Bipartisan Digital Coast Act to Aid Shoreline Communities

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced bipartisan legislation, the Digital Coast Act, to help coastal communities better prepare for storms, cope with varying water levels, and strengthen coastal economic development planning efforts. "Digital Coast is a valuable tool that can be used by Alaskans across the state to aid in emergency preparedness for storms and coastal erosion, and private, public and commercial development projects. The data helps us to better … Continue Reading

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11.24.15

Alaska Delegation Files Supreme Court Amicus Brief in Support of John Sturgeon Case

The three members of Alaska's congressional delegation today filed an amicus curiae brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of Alaskan John Sturgeon, who is suing the National Park Service over being forced off the Nation River for using a hovercraft to hunt moose, something that he had been doing for decades. The National Park Service claimed it controlled that stretch of the Nation River because it is part of the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. The State of Alaska claims it is the… Continue Reading

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11.23.15

Murkowski Fights Back Against FDA’s Approval of GE Salmon

Today U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski announced the next steps she is taking to fight back against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) recent approval of genetically engineered (GE) fish for human consumption. Senator Murkowski has long been adamantly opposed to the approval of GE salmon, introducing legislation and inserting a provision in the appropriations process to require compulsory labeling of Frankenfish if ever approved for sale to consumers. Murkowski plans to push back against t… Continue Reading

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11.19.15

Alaska Delegation Responds to FDA Approval of GE Salmon

After years of pushback from consumers, scientific experts and fishing interests, today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the first ever "approval for a genetically engineered animal intended for food, AquAdvantage Salmon." The Alaska Congressional Delegation, who has consistently fought to keep genetically engineered (GE) fish off the nation's dinner plates and away from our nation's oceans, today shared their disappointment in the FDA's ill-advised decision. "I am livid … Continue Reading