Murkowski Hails Path Forward for Point Spencer Development
Senate Approves Point Spencer Land Transfer
Today U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) praised the Senate’s action to approve the Point Spencer Land Conveyance Act. Murkowski introduced the bicameral legislation with Congressman Don Young (R-AK) in May, to streamline future infrastructure development and potential uses of Point Spencer, Alaska by calling for the conveyance of approximately 2,500 acres of federal lands to local, state, and federal stakeholders. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), a co-sponsor of the legislation and a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, supported inclusion of the bill in the Coast Guard Authorization Act (H.R. 4188), which passed the Senate Friday by unanimous consent.
“America is an Arctic nation because of Alaska, and it’s time that we started investing in our future,” Murkowski said. “Putting in place measures to speed up economic development in Alaska’s Arctic will empower us to be a more active participant in activities in the North. Public-private partnerships are an important way to spur investment in the region and with the Senate’s action today, we are one step closer to making that happen.”
The Point Spencer Land Conveyance Act would establish a public-private partnership between Bering Straits Native Corporation (BSNC) and the State of Alaska in an effort to bring timely development to Alaska’s Seward Peninsula. Among stakeholders, the U.S. Coast Guard would retain its footprint in the region to support their statutory mission and duties, while the partnership would be conveyed lands to establish a U.S. Arctic deep draft port.
Murkowski is chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee.
