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.
Senators Introduce Legislation to Strengthen Cybersecurity
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Dan Coats (R-IN), Ron Johnson (R-WI), and Richard Burr (R-NC) today introduced the Strengthening and Enhancing Cybersecurity by Using Research, Education, Information, and Technology Act (SECURE IT), their proposal to protect and secure our nation against cybersecurity attacks. "The SECURE IT Act strengthens America's cybersecurity by promoting c… Continue Reading
02.29.12
Murkowski: Administration’s Words Do Not Match Actions
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today joined several of her colleagues to discuss high gasoline prices and Republicans' plans have to alleviate the pain at the pump. (Click picture to watch) "The president has stated that under his administration that we are seeing more increased production then at any other time. It's important to kind of peel back the onion here though and see where we're seeing the production. It's on state lands. It's on private lands. When you … Continue Reading
02.29.12
Murkowski Presses Salazar for Follow-Through on BIA Audits
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today asked Interior Secretary Salazar whether the Bureau of Indian Affairs is collaborating with Alaska Natives as new oversight rules are being considered by the Obama Administration. "In last year's appropriations bill, we inserted language that stated that consultation with the tribes must occur before any changes to the 477 program move forward," Murkowski said. "How is that consultation coming along?" Secretary Salazar informed her that indeed, … Continue Reading
02.29.12
Interior Secretary Sees “Synergies” in NOAA Restructuring
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today asked Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar what he made of the recent White House proposal to have the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) move under the authority of the Interior Department. Secretary Salazar told Senator Murkowski he sees "synergies" in the concept and that reports indicate it is a good idea. "On the question of NOAA and the Department of Interior, there are synergies that could be developed if there was su… Continue Reading
02.29.12
Salazar to Murkowski: Mission is to “Bring the Whole of Government” to Alaska Native Issues
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today asked Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar if he could do more to see that funding for the Indian Health Service keeps up with costs and comparable levels within the Bureau of Indian Affairs. "The budget for contract support costs in the Bureau of Indian Affairs is estimated to be at full funding to cover the costs and I thank you for that," said Murkowski. "But the same account for the Indian Health Service - which provides for the administrative… Continue Reading
02.29.12
Murkowski: Raising Royalties Will Reduce Production on Federal Lands
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today questioned Interior Secretary Ken Salazar about his plan to raise royalty rates for oil development on public land from 12.5 percent to 18.75 percent. The senator's questions came during a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Interior Subcommittee. "America's oil and gas producers have faced an increasingly hostile investment environment under the current administration that has resulted in less interest in federal leases. Secretar… Continue Reading
02.28.12
Senator Murkowski Questions Interior Secretary Salazar on Alaska Issues
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, made the following opening statement during today's Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the Department of Interior's fiscal year 2013 budget request. During her remarks, Murkowski highlighted the enormous cuts to the Alaska Conveyance Program, the strained relations between Alaskans and federal management agencies and the additional and increased fees and royalties for leasing and production on federal lands. In h… Continue Reading
02.28.12
Murkowski: Strategic Reserve Critical to Long-Term Security
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today released the following statement in response to calls to release oil from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) in an attempt to lower gasoline prices: "Once again we are hearing calls from Democrats to tap our nation's emergency oil supplies to lower prices at the pump. Rising gas prices are painful for all of us, but the SPR is our nation's insurance policy against serious oil supply disruptions, not a political lever to b… Continue Reading
02.27.12
Senator Murkowski's Floor Speech: Production Must be Part of an "All-of-the-Above" Energy Policy
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today spoke on the Senate floor about rising gasoline prices and the need to increase domestic production of oil, especially from Alaska. "The President says that the Republican plan is just to drill, drill, drill, and he says we hear this every year. Why do we hear this every year? Because it is part of the solution. It's not the whole solution, but it is part of the solution. It shouldn't just be part of the rhetoric here." "We ha… Continue Reading
02.27.12
Murkowski: President's 'All-of-the-Above' Energy Statements Omit Many of the Facts
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today released the following statement in response to President Obama's recent comments about rising gasoline prices: "While I welcome the president's stated commitment to develop 'every available' energy source and his reluctant acknowledgment that increasing domestic production does help reduce prices, many of his recent comments and his administration's actions have been disappointing to those of us who have long been working to make en… Continue Reading
02.22.12
Murkowski Welcomes Hearing on Loan Guarantee Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today welcomed Chairman Bingaman's announcement that the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee would hold a hearing on the Department of Energy's loan guarantee program next month. "If the loan guarantee programs are going to continue in this era of austerity, we must ensure that they are working as intended and that taxpayer dollars are not being put in unnecessarily risky investments," Murkowski said. "As the Senate committee… Continue Reading
02.17.12
Senator Murkowski Co-Sponsors Bipartisan Bill to Boost Housing Market
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senators Lisa Murkowski, Scott Brown (R-MA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced legislation to improve the housing market by expediting "short sales" - real estate transactions that must be approved by the bank because the seller owes more on their mortgage than the selling price. The legislation addresses the lengthy closing process that often comes with a short sale by requiring banks to respond to prospective buyers within 75 days. "There are neighborhoods across the coun… Continue Reading
02.17.12
Murkowski Applauds Approval of Shell’s Arctic Spill Prevention Plan
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today congratulated the U.S. Department of the Interior for its approval of Shell's oil discharge prevention and contingency plan for Alaska's Chukchi Sea. "I appreciate Interior's final approval of Shell's contingency plan for the Chukchi," Murkowski said. "Today's decision confirms what we've known for some time - that Shell has put together a robust and comprehensive spill prevention and response plan that offers the highest level of env… Continue Reading
02.17.12
Murkowski Votes To Extend Temporary Tax Cut on Alaskans’ Paychecks, Other Benefits
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today cast her vote in favor of extending the payroll tax cut provision for 160 million working Americans for the rest of 2012, as well as continuing Medicare reimbursements to doctors and a modification of the unemployment benefit program - which passed the U.S. Senate 60-36. Afterwards, she had the following statement about the vote: "I reluctantly voted to extend the temporary payroll tax cut for the rest of the year, but I did so because it means a… Continue Reading
02.16.12
Murkowski Celebrates Elizabeth Peratrovich Day
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In honor of Elizabeth Peratrovich Day, Senator Lisa Murkowski shared the following reflection with her fellow Alaskans: "Elizabeth Peratrovich is an iconic Alaskan figure because of her poise and vision. She is remembered as one of the greatest civil rights activists and female leaders we have ever known. Where Rosa Parks changed the face of history by simply telling a bus driver 'No," Elizabeth gained lasting change in Alaska decades earlier by reminding the Alaska state leg… Continue Reading
02.16.12
Murkowski Voices Support for Disapproval Resolution on Utility MACT
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today issued the following statement in response to the Environmental Protection Agency's publication of the final Mercury and Air Toxics Standards rule, or Utility MACT, in the Federal Register, and in support of Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe's resolution filed under the Congressional Review Act to disapprove the rule. "Despite some substantive changes to the final Utility MACT rule, I continue to be concerned about its potential adverse imp… Continue Reading
02.16.12
Murkowski Names Tourism Aide
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today named Miles Baker - former Alaska Legislature aide, a current member of her Washington, D.C. staff - her U.S. Senate legislative assistant for tourism. Raised in Alaska, Baker will now assist Senator Murkowski on tourism-related matters, in addition to his current responsibilities on economic policy. "Alaska offers the world a one-of-a-kind combination of breathtaking beauty, wildlife and down-to-earth hosts, and I want to make sure that every po… Continue Reading
02.16.12
Sen. Murkowski Asks Sec. Chu to Testify at Loan Program Hearing
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today asked Energy Secretary Steven Chu if he would be willing to testify at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the department's loan programs, when one is scheduled. (click picture for video) Murkowski, the ranking Republican on the committee, renewed her request for an oversight hearing to review DOE's loan programs since the solar company Solyndra, which received a $535 million loan guarantee, filed for … Continue Reading
02.16.12
President’s Budget Represents Missed Opportunity on Energy Policy
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today made the following opening statement at the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the administration's proposed fiscal year 2013 budget for the Department of Energy. "It almost goes without saying that I was disappointed by the administration's overall request for fiscal year 2013. We all hoped - and expected - that the president would lead the way by presenting a good plan to reduce our debt and grow our economy. … Continue Reading
02.15.12
Murkowski Educates Senate on Alaska Road Needs
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today took to the U.S. Senate floor to educate her colleagues about the harm that could be done to Alaska's Indian Reservation Roads (IRR) program through the Surface Transportation Bill being considered on Capitol Hill. Earlier today, Senator Murkowski introduced an amendment that would protect the existing IRR funding formula from a newly-proposed one "written behind closed doors by a handful of people with no government-to-government tribal consultat… Continue Reading
