Murkowski: Conference Report Opens the 1002 Area, Reforms Tax Code
Alaska Nearing Two Significant Wins in Reconciliation Package
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today released the following statement after she, along with all of the Republican conferees for H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, signed and unveiled the final conference committee report for the bill. The conference report includes two titles: the first to provide tax relief to American families and businesses, and a second, authored by Murkowski, to open a small portion of the non-wilderness 1002 Area in northeast Alaska to responsible energy development.
“I’m grateful to my fellow conferees for working incredibly hard to reconcile our differences on tax reform and reach an agreement that reduces rates, lets hard-working Americans keep more of their own money, and makes our nation’s businesses more competitive,” Murkowski said. “I also thank all of the conferees for recognizing the significant opportunity within our energy title and agreeing to open the non-wilderness 1002 Area. If we can successfully pass this legislation, the ultimate result will be more domestic jobs, larger paychecks, and greater energy security—and that is exactly what Alaska and our country need right now.”
Title II of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act establishes an environmentally protective oil and gas program in the non-wilderness 1002 Area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), which Congress specifically set aside for evaluation of its oil and gas potential. Responsible development is limited to just 2,000 federal acres within the 1002 Area – just one ten-thousandth of all of ANWR. The text of Title II is identical to what the Senate passed on December 2, 2017.
View the text of the conference report here.
View the policy highlights of the conference report here.
Murkowski is chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. She and Congressman Don Young, R-Alaska, were members of the conference committee. The Senate and House will vote on the final reconciliation package next week.
