07.19.11

Murkowski: Did Administration Violate Iran Sanctions

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today made the following comment on media reports that Vitol, a Dutch-Swiss energy trading company and the second largest purchaser of oil in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) sale last month, has signed an agreement to resume trading with Iran: "Vitol's involvement in the SPR sale raises two serious questions. The first is whether this administration violated its own sanctions against doing business with companies involved with Iran. T… Continue Reading

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07.19.11

Murkowski: Expanding Natural Gas Use Good for Alaska, Nation

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today delivered the following opening statement at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on a new MIT study on U.S. natural gas supplies: "I appreciate the chance to learn more about MIT's recent study, and being able to spend some time thinking about the future of one of our nation's most promising resources. Natural gas is clean-burning and abundant; it's well understood and scalable; and it's clearly in our best inter… Continue Reading

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07.18.11

@LisaMurkowski Holding“Brown Bag Town Hall” This Week

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski announced today she will be holding an Alaska "Brown Bag Town Hall" this Thursday to engage directly with her constituents statewide on all the topics they are concerned about. "There are so many issues coming to a head in Washington, D.C. that have huge impacts on Alaska," said Murkowski. "Budget questions, military operations, Arctic issues and energy legislation - those are just a few of the subjects Alaskans ask me about, and social media gives me … Continue Reading

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07.15.11

Alaska Senators Fight Against "Devastating" Genetically-Engineered Fish

U.S. Senators Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski joined six other Senators in a letter to the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today, warning the agency not to dismiss the clear congressional opinion opposing the approval of genetically modified salmon. The agency is considering an application by Aqua Bounty, Inc. to grow genetically-engineered salmon in Panama for importation into the United States, with plans to eventually grow the fish in the U.S. The genetically-altered fish would … Continue Reading

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07.14.11

Murkowski “Shines A Light” on Native Sex Trafficking

Senator Lisa Murkowski today seized the opportunity of a U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing to call attention to the "staggering" and "unacceptable" epidemic of domestic violence, sexual assault and sex trafficking among Alaska Natives and American Indians nationwide - and to get answers from federal officials about efforts underway to address the problems. "The statistics on violence and assault are staggering, and whether it's one in three or one in four, any act of violence is u… Continue Reading

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07.14.11

Murkowski Leads Bipartisan Effort to Boost Afterschool Programs

Senator Lisa Murkowski today introduced the bipartisan Afterschool for America's Children Act, to help children and families by investing in high quality afterschool programs across the country. The bill is co-sponsored by her Senate colleagues in the Senate Afterschool Caucus: Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Patty Murray (D-WA). "Studies have shown the effectiveness of after school programs not only in giving children a well-rounded education, but also in reducing crime, increasing parental… Continue Reading

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07.13.11

Alaska’s Senators Share Historic Day with Judicial Nominees

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a historic Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing today, Senators Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich today introduced and spoke to the qualifications of two Alaskan judicial nominees; Justice Morgan Christen nominee to the 9th Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals, and Judge Sharon Gleason, nominee to U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. Justice Morgan Christen has clerked in the Alaska Superior Court, practiced law in the private sector, and was appointed to the… Continue Reading

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07.13.11

Alaska Delegation Introduces Legislation Repealing Roadless Rule

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Mark Begich and Congressman Don Young today introduced legislation to repeal the 2001 Roadless Rule in Alaska's National Forests. Senator Lisa Murkowski co-sponsored the Senate measure. "This cookie-cutter rule is a bad fit for Alaska," Begich said. "With high unemployment and high energy costs in Southeast Alaska, the Forest Service needs greater flexibility to address these issues. Repealing the rule will help keep the few existing mills alive and allow for th… Continue Reading

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07.12.11

Murkowski Voices Support for Geothermal Energy

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today made the following comments on the Geothermal Exploration and Technology Act (S. 1142) during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing. "Geothermal is one of our most promising sources of renewable energy," Murkowski said. "This bill will spur investment in geothermal, further expanding its market share to allow the United States to remain a world leader in development of geothermal technology." The Senate Energy and… Continue Reading

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07.12.11

Murkowski: U.S. Should be Leader in Arctic Energy Development

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, spoke about the important contribution Alaska's Arctic could make to the nation's energy security and economic recovery during a speech Tuesday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "We have so much resource potential in Alaska, especially in our Arctic regions - some 24 billion barrels of oil and more than 100 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas alone, according to the federal government's … Continue Reading

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07.12.11

Murkowski Welcomes Efforts to Reduce Permitting Delays in Arctic

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today released the following comment regarding the Obama administration's creation of an interagency working group on domestic energy production in Alaska: "A broken federal permitting process has for years held up responsible development of our offshore oil and natural gas resources in Alaska. The administration's decision to designate specific people at each agency to focus on the development of our Arctic resources represents a positive… Continue Reading

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07.08.11

Murkowski Announces Mobile Office Visit to Southeast Alaska

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced that members of her staff will visit the communities of Wrangell, Craig, Klawock, Thorne Bay, Petersburg, Yakutat, Hoonah, Gustavus July 11 - 21st, 2011. Congressional staff members hold mobile office hours throughout the summer to meet with constituents and community leaders. During their mobile office hours, staff representatives will be available to take casework requests and listen to constituent concerns about issues related to the… Continue Reading

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07.07.11

Murkowski Announces Second Session Summer Interns

WASHINGTON, D.C. -Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced the names of her second session summer interns who will work in the Senator's Washington, D.C., office this month. These young Alaskans will observe both the operations of a fast-paced Senate office and the legislative process from an up-close view. The second summer session runs from July 11 - August 5, 2011. Senator Murkowski has selected as interns Brandon Boyer from Chugiak; Jennifer Chaudhary from Ketchikan; Anne Hoefler and Victo… Continue Reading

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07.07.11

Murkowski on Budget Talks: “There Is No Time to Waste”

WASHINGTON, DC - The United States Senate recessed for the week today, with little in the way of progress being made towards an agreement on a sustainable financial path for the country's future. Alaska's Senior Senator Lisa Murkowski gave the following reaction: "I am flying home tonight with a new level of frustration at the state of gridlock in Washington, DC. I cancelled my plans this week to connect with Alaskans from Fort Greely to King Salmon, with the hope that my colleagues would mo… Continue Reading

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07.07.11

Murkowski: “Alaska Demands More” Than New USCG Cutter

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski received a letter from the United States Coast Guard notifying her that the 110-foot U.S. Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Chandeleur will be headed to Ketchikan in early 2012, in an effort to fill the void created by the decommissioning of the USCGC Acushnet in March. "The Acushnet was the 'Queen of the Coast Guard Fleet,' and they're replacing it with a 110-foot island class patrol ship that will have difficulty making it far out into just the Gulf of Alask… Continue Reading

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07.06.11

Senator Murkowski Backs "Pilot's Bill of Rights"

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), a member of the Senate General Aviation Caucus and certified flight instructor with more than 10,000 flight hours, today introduced the Pilot's Bill of Rights. The bill has 24 originalco-sponsors, including Senators Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski. "More than in any other state, Alaskans take to the air for not just recreation or travel, but to overcome our lack of roads and the vast distances we need to cover," Senator Murkowski said. "That's … Continue Reading

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07.04.11

Murkowski Statement to Alaskans On Independence Day

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today offered the following reflections on the Fourth of July: Hello, Friends. This 4th of July, we celebrate the 235th anniversary of our Nation's independence. With the full swing of summer upon us, I hope the generosity of Alaska's long days has provided ample time for outdoor fun and social gathering. Parades and barbeques are perhaps the most visible reminders of how we celebrate freedom in our communities. And we do fireworks in o… Continue Reading

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07.01.11

Senators Introduce Bill to Secure NOAA Presence in Ketchikan

U.S. Senators Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski introduced a bill late Thursday which would help ensure the long term presence of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Ketchikan. The bill would authorize NOAA to sell the port facility it currently owns at 1010 Stedman Street, which used to be a Tesoro fuel dock, and utilize the proceeds of the sale towards a new facility located elsewhere in Ketchikan. The current facility, which serves as the homeport for the NOAA Ship Fa… Continue Reading

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07.01.11

Sen. Murkowski Introduces Bill for Short-term Nuclear Fuel Storage

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, introduced legislation to make good on the federal government's promise to provide safe and secure storage for the nation's spent nuclear fuel. The Nuclear Fuel Storage Improvement Act (S. 1320), which is co-sponsored by Mary Landrieu (D-LA), would create two federal interim storage repositories to centralize spent nuclear fuel that is currently being held at individual nuclear power plants around the country. "This proposal addresses one … Continue Reading

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07.01.11

Murkowski Welcomes Release of Revised OCS Air Permits to Shell

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today offered the following statement regarding the Environmental Protection Agency's release of draft air quality permits for Shell Oil's exploratory drilling operations in Alaska's Arctic waters: "This represents a positive step in what has been a long and frustrating process," Murkowski said. "I'm hopeful that the EPA's process will work this time and I strongly encourage Alaskans to get involved by submitting comments for the record to … Continue Reading