Energy and Natural Resources Committee Advances 65 Bills
Sportsmen’s, Lands, Nuclear, AMHT, Hydro, and Gasline Bills All Head to Senate Floor
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today held a business meeting to approve a wide array of legislative proposals. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, thanked her colleagues for their work to develop and report, en bloc and by voice vote, a total of 65 bills from members of both parties. The committee approved seven bills introduced by Chairman Murkowski, as well as subcommittee assignments for Sen. Luther Strange, R-Ala.
“I am proud of the work our members have done to develop so many good bills and to report them in a collegial, bipartisan manner,” Murkowski said. “Alaska and other states across the nation will benefit from our efforts on sportsmen’s access, advanced nuclear research, energy efficiency, volcano monitoring, hydropower, federal land exchanges, and more. I am particularly grateful to my colleagues for agreeing to advance legislation to complete a time-sensitive land exchange for the Alaska Mental Health Trust and a routing fix that will benefit the Alaska gasline project.”
“My top priority as chairman of this committee is to empower the state of Alaska and all of the people who call it home,” Murkowski continued. “So many of the bills we reported today will do just that.”
Among the measures reported out at today’s business meeting were:
- S.733, a bill to expand and enhance sportsmen’s access to federal lands for hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting. Sponsored by Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Martin Heinrich, D-N.M.
- S.131, a bill to provide for the exchange of certain National Forest System land and non-Federal land in the State of Alaska, and for other purposes. Sponsored by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.
- S.217, a bill to allow for the rerouting of a portion of the proposed gasline through the non-wilderness portion of Denali National Park and Preserve in order to avoid populated areas. Sponsored by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.
- S.97, a bill to enable civilian research and development of advanced nuclear energy technologies by private and public institutions, to expand theoretical and practical knowledge of nuclear physics, chemistry, and materials science, and for other purposes. Sponsored by Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho.
- S.724, a bill to modernize authorizations for necessary hydropower approvals, by providing FERC with authority to extend time limits for the construction of projects and the period of preliminary permits. Sponsored by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.
The committee also reported out several more Alaska-specific bills introduced by Murkowski:
- S.213, a bill to rename 2.6 million acres of an existing wilderness area within the Lake Clark National Park and Preserve to honor former Gov. Jay Hammond and commemorate his homestead on Lake Clark.
- S.214, a bill to authorize the expansion of an existing hydroelectric project at Terror Lake in the State of Alaska.
- S.215, a bill to authorize a stay of the hydroelectric license for Mahoney Lake near Ketchikan, which will allow the Southeast Alaska Power Association to consider this renewable project for up to ten additional years.
- S.346, a bill to provide for the establishment of the National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System.
In addition, the committee reported S. 267, a bill sponsored by Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, to provide for the correction of a survey of certain land in the State of Alaska. The survey correction is critical to the Swan Lake hydroelectric project near Ketchikan.
Murkowski is chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Archived video, a full list of reported bills, and a rundown of the business meeting are available on the committee’s website.
