05.05.09

Murkowski Calls for Beefed Up Polar Icebreaker Capability

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today called for a ramping up of America's polar icebreaker capability, saying a "global chess game" is currently playing out in the Arctic but the United States is playing "with a serious shortage of pieces." "At present the Russians have 18 icebreakers, and planning on building three more, Finland has seven and Canada six," Alaska's senior senator said. "The United States has two working icebreakers and a third in caretaker status. Eve… Continue Reading

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04.30.09

Murkowski adds her name to hold on nominee Hayes

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, voiced disappointment today at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing over the Department of the Interior's decision to unilaterally overturn an existing rule pertaining to the Endangered Species Act. Murkowski expressed concern that the Obama administration would drop the rule without following the due process requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act. The decision to overturn the rule, along with other decision… Continue Reading

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04.30.09

Murkowski, Harkin Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Improve Children's Health

Washington, D.C. - Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today introduced legislation that would improve student health by updating decades-old nutrition standards in schools. This bill seeks to establish appropriate school nutrition standards for foods and beverages offered in school vending machines, stores, a la carte lines and other venues outside of the school meal programs. Currently, more than $11 billion in federal money is invested annually in student health though … Continue Reading

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04.30.09

Murkowski, Feingold Introduce Bill to Assist Wounded Service Members.

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) are introducing legislation today to ensure that wounded service members do not go without income due to injuries sustained in the line of duty. Currently, many are going without compensation of any kind while they wait for their VA claims to be processed because they are never told about the patchwork of military compensation programs designed to care for them as they transition back to civilian life. Feingold and… Continue Reading

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04.30.09

Murkowski Signs On to Legislation Benefitting Military Families

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has signed on to two bills that would benefit Alaska military families. The first would reduce the distance required for reimbursement when military families travel to specialty medical care providers and the second would allow military spouses to retain their Alaska residency, if they choose, for voting and tax purposes, when they move with their spouse to duty locations outside the Alaska. The Care Affordability for Military Families … Continue Reading

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04.29.09

Sens. Murkowski, Murray and Congressman Larsen Announce Major Ferry Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and U.S. Congressman Rick Larsen (D-WA2) announced the introduction of the U.S. Ferry Systems Investment Act of 2009 at a press conference in the Capitol. This bill would dramatically increase federal support for the country's ferry system, and direct millions of dollars to ferry systems in Washington state. "The U.S. Ferry Systems Investment Act of 2009 makes make a strong investment in our natio… Continue Reading

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04.29.09

Murkowski Offers Legislation Promoting Ocean Energy

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today introduced legislation to encourage development of renewable ocean energy. Murkowski introduced companion legislation to a bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., that would authorize as much as $250 million a year to promote ocean research - one of the technologies being pushed for expansion by the Obama Administration. "Coming from Alaska, where there are nearly 150 communities locat… Continue Reading

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04.28.09

Murkowski Votes Against Confirmation of Gov. Sebelius to be HHS Secretary

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today issued the following statement after voting against the nomination of Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to be Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services: "The well being of the Indian Health Service is of tremendous importance to Alaska. We have more Native people per capita than any other state in the nation. The Indian Health Service has been chronically underfunded in administrations of both parties. When President Obama no… Continue Reading

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04.28.09

Legislation will Increase the Availability of Credit for Clean Energy

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today called for greater federal support of clean energy technologies. Murkowski, the ranking Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Chairman Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., plan to introduce legislation in the coming days that would create a Clean Energy Deployment Administration (CEDA) to increase the availability of financing for developers of clean energy technologies through the provision of loan guarantees, di… Continue Reading

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04.23.09

Murkowski Introduces Sealaska Land Settlement Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today introduced a revised Sealaska land settlement proposal that is part of her Southeast Alaska initiative to aid the regional economy. Southeast Alaska has been hard hit by the downturn in timber-related jobs. Last month, Murkowski introduced the first of two bills designed to stimulate the Southeast Alaska economy - the Southeast Alaska Timber Industry Retooling and Restructuring Act to help firms retool to maintain jobs in the reg… Continue Reading

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04.23.09

Obama Administration to Work with Murkowski on Denali Commission and Fisheries Science Funding

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today got a commitment from Secretary of Commerce Gary F. Locke that the Obama administration would work with her on Fiscal Year 2010 funding for the Denali Commission and fisheries science and research in Alaska. The commitment came during Locke's testimony at a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Commerce, Justice and Science Subcommittee, of which Murkowski is a member. The Obama administration released a partial Fiscal Year 2010… Continue Reading

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04.23.09

Murkowski Resolution Recognizes Global Youth Service Days

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said today that this year's "Global Youth Service Days," as recognized in a recently passed Senate resolution that Murkowski sponsors each year, will be tomorrow through Sunday, or April 24 - 26. "Over the weekend, beginning this Friday, April 24th, youth from across the United States and around the world will carry out community service projects in areas ranging from hunger to literacy to the environment" Murkowski said in a prepared st… Continue Reading

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04.22.09

Murkowski Places Tribute to Harold “Buddy” Brown into the Congressional Record

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today placed the following tribute to Harold "Buddy" Brown into the Congressional Record: HAROLD "BUDDY" BROWN Mr. President, today the people of Interior Alaska - our Native people and the entire Fairbanks community - mourn the loss of one of the most promising Native leaders of this generation. Harold "Buddy" Brown died yesterday of cancer at the age of 39. Buddy is survived by his wife, Patti, and two children, Xa… Continue Reading

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04.22.09

Murkowski Pushes Energy Efficiency, Opposes New Mandate

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today reiterated her belief that enhanced energy efficiency should be central to the nation's energy policy, but said she opposes legislation that would impose an efficiency mandate on small retail energy providers. The language under consideration would require retail electric and natural gas distributors to reduce their customers' energy consumption - something they have little direct control over. "While utilities can educate co… Continue Reading

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04.20.09

Murkowski Opposes Federal Court Decision on OCS

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today gave the following statement after a federal appeals court canceled a program to expand oil and gas drilling off Alaska's coast: "I am disappointed that the D.C. Circuit has issued this decision to vacate and remand the five year Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) leasing program to the extent that this may now cause a further delay in the development of the oil and gas resources that America still requires to fuel its economy,&qu… Continue Reading

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04.17.09

Murkowski, Other Senators Express Outrage at DHS Report Disparaging Veterans, Second Amendment Supporters and Others

WASHINGTON, D.C. -U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, joined U.S. Sens. David Vitter (R-LA), James Inhofe (R-OK), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Jim DeMint (R-SC), Sam Brownback (R-KA) and Richard Burr (R-NC) yesterday in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano expressing outrage about a DHS report citing links of 'right wing extremism' by specific groups of people including returning combat veterans, Second Amendment supporters, proponents of immigration re… Continue Reading

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04.17.09

Murkowski Opposes Using Clean Air Act to Regulate Greenhouse Gas Emissions

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today voiced strong opposition to Environmental Protection Agency regulation of global climate change through the Clean Air Act. The EPA today announced an endangerment finding and their intention to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. "Placing a mandatory cap on carbon emissions has serious implications for every corner of our already fragile economy," Murkowski said. "The Clean Air Act was not designed to address carbo… Continue Reading

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04.06.09

Bipartisan Group of Senators Oppose Cuts in Missile Defense

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), along with Senators Joe Lieberman (ID-CT), Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Mark Begich (D-AK), Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK) today sent the following letter to President Obama calling for full funding of U.S. missile defense programs: The President The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear President Obama: We write to urge you not to allow deep cuts in U.S. missile defense programs that are critica… Continue Reading

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04.05.09

Murkowski Statement on North Korea Missile Launch

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, issued the following statement regarding the launch of a missile by North Korea: "I am very disappointed by North Korea's recent launch of a long-range rocket. This aggressive move, coupled with their recent actions and statements, place the progress of the Six Party Talks in jeopardy and risks destabilizing the Asia-Pacific region. In addition to the security implications of North Korea's move, it is tragic that in a country wher… Continue Reading

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04.02.09

Murkowski Bill Would Assist Construction of an Alaska In-State Gas Pipeline

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today introduced legislation designed to help development of an in-state natural gas pipeline in Alaska. The Denali National Park and Preserve Natural Gas Pipeline Act would give the Park Service authority to, subject to NEPA review, authorize a right-of-way for construction of an in-state natural gas pipeline along the Parks Highway for the roughly 7 miles the highway passes through Denali National Park. The legislation would remove a p… Continue Reading