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.
Murkowski: Administration’s Consultation Policies Failing Tribes
Senator Lisa Murkowski today urged President Barack Obama to follow through on the federal government's commitments and fulfill the expectations surrounding tribal consultation - enumerating the core frustrations and federal agency shortfalls she is hearing from many of Alaska's 229 federally recognized Tribes. In her letter to the White House (attached), she stresses that the requirements of notice and meaningful consultation with Alaska's Tribes appear to be being violated by numerous federal… Continue Reading
06.21.12
Murkowski Opposes Farm Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today voted against the $969 billion 2012 Farm Bill, saying it contains far too many subsidies and is not the cost-saving bill that it is being portrayed as. She shared her reasoning after the vote: "In 2008, I voted against the five-year Farm Bill because it was too bloated and gave unnecessary handouts to farmers across the country. That bill averaged $61 billion a year. This one averages nearly $97 billion a year. There are new subsidies for map… Continue Reading
06.21.12
Murkowski Introduces Bill to Assist Southeast Alaska’s Economy
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today introduced legislation to permit road access to two proposed multi-mineral mines on southeast Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska. The Niblack Mining Area Road Authorization Act would authorize a road across 18 miles of inventoried roadless lands. "With unemployment as much as 12 percent higher than the national average, Southeast Alaska is in dire need of new job opportunities," Murkowski said. "These mines will provide stabl… Continue Reading
06.20.12
Murkowski: Whaling Defines Alaska Natives As a People
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today spoke at a Capitol Hill event hosted by the Ocean Caucus Foundation to educate embassy officials from many countries active in the International Whaling Commission on the importance and role of subsistence whaling in Alaska. As the Senate considered over 70 amendments to the Farm Bill, Murkowski shared with the attendees that in Alaska, a harvest critical to northern coastal communities comes not from our land but our water, saying: "The whale h… Continue Reading
06.20.12
Murkowski Lauds Title IX on 40th Anniversary
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today joined 35 Senate colleagues in saluting Title IX - the law that leveled the educational playing field for women and girls - as it nears its 40th Anniversary this weekend. Murkowski co-sponsored the bipartisan resolution which passed unanimously moments ago. The resolution (S. Res. 500) touts the law and its accomplishments, spotlighting that: "Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in the administration of any education program … Continue Reading
06.20.12
Senator Murkowski: EPA's New Rules Carry Crippling Costs, Few Benefits
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today spoke on the floor about her opposition to the Environmental Protection Agency's new rule governing power plant emissions - the Mercury and Air Toxic Standards rule. The Senate is set to vote today on a measure by Sen. James Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, to block the Utility MACT Rule. (Click for full video of floor speech) "The EPA is proceeding with an unprecedented litany of new rules whose benefits are murky but whose costs are very real a… Continue Reading
06.18.12
Murkowski Argues Case Against Eielson Proposal to Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today reached out to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey regarding the U.S. Air Force proposal to move the F-16 Aggressor squadron - within days of him testifying he will become personally involved - outlining the many flaws and incorrect presumptions contained within the plan. Murkowski also informed him that she supports the ideas laid out in a recent letter to the Pentagon from Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Senator Carl Le… Continue Reading
06.18.12
Murkowski Announces Kenai Peninsula Mobile Office Stops
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In an effort to advance her engagement efforts and connectivity with constituents, Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced that members of her staff will be visiting the communities of Hope, Moose Pass, Seward, Cooper Landing, Fritz Creek, Seldovia, Nanwalek and Homer from June 25-29, 2012. Senator Murkowski's staff members are holding mobile office hours throughout the summer to meet with constituents and community leaders. During mobile office hours, staff representatives a… Continue Reading
06.18.12
Murkowski Announces Parks Highway Mobile Office Stops
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In an effort to advance her engagement efforts and connectivity with constituents, Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced that members of her staff will be visiting the communities of Talkeetna, Cantwell, Healy, Anderson, Nenana and Minto from June 25-28, 2012. Senator Murkowski's staff members are holding mobile office hours throughout the summer to meet with constituents and community leaders. During mobile office hours, staff representatives are available to take casework … Continue Reading
06.15.12
Murkowski, Begich Announce Plan to Halt Scrapping of Polar Sea
WASHINGTON, D.C. -Senators Lisa Murkowski, Mark Begich and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) have reached an agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard to postpone the scrapping of the Polar Sea through the end of 2012 - scheduled to begin within days, on Monday. The agreement was reached during a meeting of the Senators and the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, Admiral Robert Papp, Jr. The icebreaker, based in Seattle, had been scheduled to be dry-docked and taken apart beginning Monday. This process would ha… Continue Reading
06.14.12
Murkowski Pushes for Boost to Fight “Staggering” Suicide Rates
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski urged her colleagues on the Appropriations Committee to give resources to Alaska Natives, Native Americans and Native Hawaiians a higher priority by filing an amendment to the Labor/Health and Human Services Appropriations bill that would move $10 million from the health care law to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) suicide prevention efforts. Funding the Fight Against Suicide In remarks shared before the Appropriatio… Continue Reading
06.14.12
Murkowski Welcomes PILT Payments to Alaskan Communities
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today announced that the Department of the Interior is distributing nearly $27 million to Alaskan communities in compensation for taxes that could not be levied on federal lands in their jurisdictions during fiscal year 2012. The Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program provides monetary compensation to local governments that contain National Forests, Bureau of Land Management public lands, National Parks and other lands dedicated to water … Continue Reading
06.14.12
Murkowski: Imitating China is Not the Best Way to Compete with China
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today highlighted the fundamental differences between the United States and China in measuring which country is leading the race to develop alternative energy technologies. (Click for video of Murkowski's full opening statement) "We hear claims that the United States is somehow 'falling behind' China in a 'clean energy race.' In so many ways, we are not falling behind. From the wages and conditions for our workers to our environmental … Continue Reading
06.14.12
Murkowski Shares Kodiak Concerns with Secretary of the Army
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In the wake of the U.S. Army Reserve Vessel Monterrey's recent accident on Puffin Island near Kodiak, Senator Lisa Murkowski is asking Secretary of the Army John McHugh to keep her informed of the recovery and repair efforts. In a letter, Murkowski writes, "I expect that the Army will fully investigate the cause of this incident and take all appropriate steps, in conjunction with the Coast Guard and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, to prevent damage to th… Continue Reading
06.13.12
Murkowski Honors Longtime Staffer Sherrie Slick
WASHINGTON, D.C. -In a speech on the U.S. Senate floor this afternoon, Senator Lisa Murkowski paid tribute to longtime staff member Sherrie Slick - Special Assistant in Senator Murkowski's Ketchikan office - who is retiring at the end of the month after 25 years of service to the United States Senate. Click here to watch the entire floor speech. "Sherrie over the years has responded to tens of thousands of public and media inquiries, requests for help over everything from Social Security check… Continue Reading
06.13.12
Murkowski Urges Defense Secretary to Fight Military Suicides
WASHINGTON, D.C. - With suicide rates among America's troops approaching a rate of one every day - far more than the number dying in action - Senator Murkowski today made a personal appeal to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and asked that he make it a top priority when he appeared before her in the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee to discuss the Pentagon's FY2013 budget. (Senator Murkowski asks Secretary Panetta for urgency in dealing with military suicides) Senator Murkowski: I wi… Continue Reading
06.13.12
Murkowski Suggests Pentagon "Abandon" Eielson F-16 Plan
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski seized the opportunity of having the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff before the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee to lay out the wide range of Alaskan concerns and the potential shortcomings surrounding the United States Air Force proposal to move the F-16s from Eielson Air Force Base. She closed by explaining the valid reasons many in Alaska see this exercise as the beginning of a "Backdoor BRAC." Murkowski … Continue Reading
06.12.12
Murkowski Announces Richardson Highway Mobile Office Stops
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In an effort to advance her engagement efforts and connectivity with constituents, Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced that members of her staff will be visiting the communities of Salcha, Delta Junction, Tanacross, Tok, Chistachina, Gakona, Glennallen and Copper Center from June 18-21, 2012. Senator Murkowski's staff are holding mobile office hours throughout the summer to meet with constituents and community leaders. During their mobile office hours, staff representative… Continue Reading
06.12.12
Murkowski Comment on Transfer of Rock Creek Mine to Bering Straits Native Corp.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today congratulated the Bering Straits Native Corp. on its purchase of the Rock Creek Mine, outside of Nome, from NovaGold Resources. "The Bering Straits Native Corp. should be applauded for taking steps to develop the economy of the Nome region and create jobs for its shareholders," Murkowski said. "Resource extraction is often a job done by Outside companies, who take the lion's share of the profits out of Alaska. It's refreshing to see … Continue Reading
06.11.12
Murkowski to USPS: Step Up War on Drugs in Southeast Alaska
WASHINGTON, D.C. - As communities throughout Southeast Alaska report significant volumes of illegal drugs transported via the United States Postal Service (USPS), Senator Murkowski is asking the Postmaster General to address the matter, possibly by devoting additional US Postal Inspection Service resources to the area or increasing collaboration with local law enforcement agencies to reduce the flow of drugs into Southeast. In a letter, the Senator writes to the Postmaster General: "I am tol… Continue Reading
