12.15.08
Murkowski responds to President-elect Barack Obama's energy team
Contact - Michael Brumas at 202.224.9301 or Anne Johnson at 202.224.8069
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, welcomed the official announcement today of President-elect Barack Obama’s energy team.
“The incoming administration’s choice of seasoned energy and environmental advisors demonstrates the seriousness with which the new president takes the challenges facing the country in simultaneously tackling climate change and energy security,” Murkowski said.
Sen. Murkowski, who is expected to be the ranking Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee next year, looks forward to working with the new administration on drafting legislation to curb greenhouse gas emissions, boost energy efficiency and energy conservation, and strengthen national security by increasing domestic production of all of America’s energy resources.
Sen. Murkowski remains dedicated to moving the nation toward a balanced energy policy through investment in the development of renewable energy sources and the infrastructure to bring cleaner energy sources online, including a North Slope pipeline to deliver Alaska natural gas to homes in the continental United States. The senator also understands the importance of safeguarding national security by continuing to produce America’s fossil fuel resources, both onshore and offshore, in an environmentally friendly way.
Solving these challenges in the current economic conditions will require bipartisan effort. But by making smart investments we can create new jobs and increase domestic energy production, while taking positive steps to curb emissions and protect the environment for future generations.
President-elect Obama this afternoon appointed Steven Chu, a Nobel physics laureate, to be Secretary of the Department of Energy, and former Environmental Protection Agency chief Carol Browner to head the new White House council on energy, climate and the environment. The president-elect also named Lisa Jackson, the chief of staff for New Jersey's governor, to run the Environmental Protection Agency, and Nancy Sutley, a deputy mayor for energy and the environment of Los Angeles, to head the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
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