Murkowski to Hold Subsistence Public Meetings in Alaska
Senator Will Carry the Subsistence Concerns of Alaska Natives and Rural Residents Back to Congress
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced she is holding two public meetings in Alaska on the topic of subsistence. The sessions will provide a forum for Alaskans to be heard on this important cultural and food security issue, and to have their testimony taken back to Congress. The first public meeting will be held in Bethel on April 2nd and will be live-streamed on the Senator’s website for all interested in watching. The second subsistence meeting will be held in the Ahtna region in May.
Senator Murkowski made a commitment last fall at the Alaska Federation of Natives convention to facilitate congressional hearings on subsistence.
“On the issue of subsistence, I believe that it’s important to hear from as many rural Alaskans as possible, many of whom will not have the option of attending a hearing in Washington,” said Murkowski.
In a letter to AFN President Julie Kitka (attached), Senator Murkowski followed up on that commitment with a plan to hold two public meetings: one in Bethel, one in the Copper River Basin area. These meetings will collect testimony and provide the groundwork for a full Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee oversight hearing on subsistence that she will convene in Washington D.C. later this year. Senator Murkowski is the Ranking Member of that committee, which holds jurisdiction over the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) and the Alaska Native Land Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), under which subsistence activities in Alaska are governed.
What: Subsistence Public Meeting
When: April 2nd 2 p.m.-4 p.m.
Where: Yuut Elitnaurvait, Inc. Training Center, Bethel, Alaska
The entire Bethel Subsistence Public Meeting will be live-streamed on Senator Murkowski’s website www.murkowski.senate.gov. Any Alaskan wishing to provide written comments for the upcoming ENR subsistence hearing can submit them via the Subsistence Public Meeting page on the Senator’s website: https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=subsistence-concerns .
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