Press Releases
Media Requests: Members of the media can contact the press office by emailing Joseph_Plesha@murkowski.senate.gov or by calling 206-302-8317 and asking for the press office.
Richard Frank Remembered in Congressional Record
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski entered a tribute to Richard Frank into the Congressional Record before the Senate recessed this weekend. Frank was an Alaska Native leader, veteran, historian and elder who died Thursday, September 20, 2012 at age 85. (Statement attached as PDF) Murkowski writes, "Richard Frank is an individual of great significance in the history of post-statehood Alaska. He was among the first Alaska Native leaders to recognize the risk that development of the mode… Continue Reading
09.22.12
Juneau Courthouse Bill Passes Senate
The U.S. Senate today unanimously passed HR 4347, legislation to name the United States Courthouse in Juneau after Alaskan jurist Robert Boochever. Senator Murkowski - co-sponsor of companion Senate legislation on this issue - had the following statement after passage: "I am thrilled that the Senate unanimously agreed to designate the Juneau Courthouse as the Robert Boochever United States Courthouse. We lost him last October, and I believe naming the courthouse after him is a fitting memoria… Continue Reading
09.22.12
Murkowski Introduces Amendment to Preserve Access, Recreation on Public Lands
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today introduced her Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act as an amendment to legislation currently being considered on the Senate floor. Murkowski's amendment is a first-degree amendment to Sen. Jon Tester's, D-Montana, Sportsmen's Act of 2012 (S. 3525). "While I appreciate Sen. Tester's efforts in putting together the Sportsmen's Act, I am disappointed by the decision to leave out bipartisan measures that I beli… Continue Reading
09.22.12
Murkowski Votes to Maintain Diplomatic Efforts
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today voted against S.3576, a bill to cut American financial support to Libya, Egypt and Pakistan as that region undergoes political tumult. She shared her reasoning after the vote: "The troubling recent events in Libya and surrounding countries underscore the need for soft power through diplomatic influence and foreign assistance programs. These programs require and deserve regular Congressional scrutiny, but are an essential component of our nationa… Continue Reading
09.22.12
Murkowski: Spending Bill is “Symptom of Stalemate”
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski tonight cast her vote in favor of a six-month FY2013 continuing resolution to fund federal operations through March 27, 2013, while expressing deep frustration at the U.S. Senate's inability to responsibly oversee the nation's spending: "This Continuing Resolution is not a solution or a plan; it is a symptom of stalemate on Capitol Hill where Congress cannot work together to provide agencies certainty - and just as importantly, to exercise oversight of… Continue Reading
09.21.12
Alaska Delegation Introduces Denali Commission Reauthorization Bill
Washington, DC - Legislation to reauthorize the Denali Commission, which for nearly a generation has worked to improve living conditions and quality of life in rural Alaska, was introduced today by Alaska's congressional delegation. Senators Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski filed legislation in the Senate while Congressman Don Young offered the companion bill in the House of Representatives. The bill is designed to improve the function and effectiveness of the Denali Commission and overcome some… Continue Reading
09.21.12
Murkowski: Does Indian Health Service Have “Deaf Ear” With Village Built Clinics?
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski took the opportunity of Maniilaq Association President Ian Erlich's Senate testimony to spotlight the chronic underfunding for Alaska's village built clinics by the Indian Health Service (I.H.S.) There are over 150 such clinics in Alaska - with most being the only local option for health care - and Murkowski asked Erlich about the "unresponsive" stance of the agency on requests for payments, and the absence of simple communication with Alaskans. "What h… Continue Reading
09.20.12
Murkowski: Administration is Running Out of Excuses
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today spoke on the Senate floor about the importance of developing America's energy resources to reduce our dependence on OPEC, to create jobs and to raise revenues to address the ballooning deficit without raising taxes. (Click photo to watch video) "Mr. President, the events of the past week are a very clear and direct reminder to us of the need to choose to end our nation's dependence on imported oil. I will remind my colleagues, th… Continue Reading
09.19.12
Murkowski Votes For Veterans Jobs Corps
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today voted to move forward with the Veterans Job Corps Act - legislation that would create opportunities, transitional services and job training for 20,000 members of the post-9/11 veteran community presently facing a 10.9 percent unemployment rate nationwide. In addition to helping employ our recent veterans, the bill was also intended to address a huge backlog of infrastructure projects and federal land work. The bill failed to pass a procedural 60-… Continue Reading
09.19.12
Murkowski: Unfair for FERC to Continue Collecting Land-Use Fees on Non-Federally Owned Lands
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today questioned administration witness on her legislation to prohibit the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) from collecting land-use fees from hydropower projects on land that the federal government no longer owns during a Water and Power Subcommittee hearing in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Under the Federal Power Act, FERC is authorized to collect reasonable annual fees from project owners for the "use, en… Continue Reading
09.19.12
Murkowski: Eielson Strategic Pause Applies to Environmental Assessment
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski sat down with U.S. Air Force General Herbert "Hawk" Carlisle - the newly-installed Commander of the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) - today to stress her belief that the "strategic pause" on the relocation of the F-16 Aggressor Squadron from Eielson Air Force Base and all military structure movements requires that the Air Force defer a Natural Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) evaluation of the move for at least one year. After an exchange of letters between … Continue Reading
09.18.12
Murkowski Recaps her Visit to North Dakota’s Bakken Region
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., toured oil production facilities and associated sites in North Dakota's Bakken region on Monday and Tuesday. The two-day tour of western North Dakota's oil patch highlighted the economic boom occurring in parts of the Heartland where energy development is being embraced as an opportunity to create jobs, drive economic activity and deliver the energy America needs. "It's amazing to see how quickly things are hap… Continue Reading
09.18.12
PACAF to Murkowski: Demolition Halted on Three Eielson Buildings
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski received a response to her September 5th letter to the incoming Commander of the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) - Air Force General Herbert J. Carlisle - informing Murkowski that he is taking her suggestion to postpone the demolition of key facilities at Eielson Air Force Base and ordering that "planned demolition be halted on all three buildings, and that [2 buildings] be transferred to Alaska Air National Guard Control." The demolition announcement is we… Continue Reading
09.17.12
Murkowski Celebrates 225th Anniversary of U.S. Constitution With Alaskans, Students
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today is U.S. Constitution Day, marking the 225th anniversary of its signing. Senator Lisa Murkowski today released the following reflection to Alaska and students learning American history statewide: (click to watch video) "Happy Constitution Day, Alaska. I think that the anniversary of our country ratifying this incredible document is a day worth celebrating - and a day of us remembering our roots over the last 225 years. "Just look at the first three words in the … Continue Reading
09.17.12
Murkowski Comments on Shell’s Revised Drilling Plan
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today made the following statement after Shell announced that it is revising its plans for the 2012-2012 exploration program, forgoing drilling into hydrocarbon zones this year: "I'm disappointed with the news, but believe Shell has made the right decision, keeping safety paramount," Sen. Murkowski said. "Arctic oil development is critical to the United States as we pursue independence from OPEC imports." "The events in the Middle East o… Continue Reading
09.14.12
Murkowski Conducting North Dakota Resource Tour
Senator Lisa Murkowski is traveling to North Dakota on Monday for a two-day tour of oil and natural gas development in that state's Bakken Region with Senator John Hoeven, her colleague on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. North Dakota and Alaska are national energy leaders, ranking, respectively, the second and third largest oil- producing states in the nation. The Senators will visit oil and natural gas production sites - including an oil rig, gas plant and rail station -- t… Continue Reading
09.13.12
Murkowski Protects Equal Footing for Rural Alaskan Energy Needs
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski's amendment that would clear the way for rural biomass energy demonstration projects (energy derived from plants/wood) to be allowed in Alaska passed unanimously in the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs today. The Committee was considering S1684, the Tribal Energy Bill, which contains a provision for tribes to participate in such projects - particularly tribes in the lower 48 - and Murkowski's amendment creates the same opportunities in Alaska for Nativ… Continue Reading
09.13.12
Alaska Delegation Lauds Commerce Fisheries Disaster Declaration
The Department of Commerce today declared a resource disaster for the Yukon River, Kuskokwim River and Upper Cook Inlet Chinook salmon fisheries - making future federal resources and aid possible for impacted regions. On behalf of Acting Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco shared the news with each member of Alaska's Congressional Delegation individually Thursday morning - with the Alaskan lawmakers responding in appreciation of th… Continue Reading
09.12.12
Murkowski Presses White House for Transparency on Federal Cuts
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski issued the following statement after the White House failed to meet the Congressionally-required September 7th deadline to inform Americans about wide-ranging budget cuts on the horizon - after she co-sponsored legislation imposing the deadline on the President: "The nation is currently facing over an undefined 100 billion in spending cuts to next year's federal budget, and the President has yet to indicate how and where these cuts will be made through… Continue Reading
09.12.12
Murkowski: We Need to Act Soon on Nuclear Waste Issue
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today made the following opening statement during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on S. 3469, the Nuclear Waste Administration Act of 2012: "Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this hearing on a topic that needs to be resolved in order for nuclear energy to play the role that it is capable of in meeting our energy needs. While I have been skeptical regarding the need to delay progress on resolving these issues whil… Continue Reading
