Articles & Op-eds
Juneau Empire: Murkowski uses final energy committee meeting to oppose Aleutian monument
by James Brooks
Sen. Lisa Murkowski used the final pre-election meeting of the U.S. Senate's energy committee to send a message to President Barack Obama and his administration. Murkowski, head of the committee, arranged for testimony on 21 bills, including six of her own. None are likely to become law, but she said that's OK. Introducing them and hearing them in committee says exactly what her priorities are. "Do I think that all six of these bills are going to be passed this year? No, I don't," she told rep… Continue Reading
09.15.16
Reveal News: Veterans Choice didn’t ease health care woes, especially in Alaska
by Lee Romney
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Tina Cramer Showers keeps one vomit bucket on the narrow stairway of her Anchorage townhouse, another at her bedside. It was there, during a grueling course of cancer treatment last year, that the Air Force veteran settled in for marathon phone sessions with "Health Choice." That's what Cramer Showers calls Veterans Choice, Congress' hastily crafted response to the scandal of veterans dying while awaiting appointments at Veterans Affairs medical facilities. The goal: to farm… Continue Reading
07.14.16
Your Alaska Link: U.S. Senate Ratifies FAA Reauthorization Bil
by Maria Athens
Anchorage, AK- Today in Washington, D.C., U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski voted for the FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016. The Act steps up airport security, enhances airline safety efforts, and streamlines travel. Senator Murkowski's provision was included in the legislation; the bill was passed by the Senate with an 89 to 4 vote. The Act reauthorizes the FAA until September 2017, and safeguards existing funding levels. It is now making its way to the President's desk for authoriz… Continue Reading
06.28.16
Alaska Dispatch News: Alaska Natives, environmentalists add to push for action on nearby Canadian mining
by Erica Martinson
WASHINGTON - Alaska Native and environmental groups on Monday petitioned the Interior Secretary to launch a formal investigation into whether pollution from mines in British Columbia is causing problems for wildlife across the border in Southeast Alaska. The groups pointed to a 1971 amendment and several international agreements to argue that Interior Secretary Sally Jewell has a duty to launch an investigation into the potential Alaska environmental impacts from six hard-rock mines in British … Continue Reading
06.27.16
KTVA: BlueCrest Energy launches ‘Cosmopolitan’ project at Anchor Point
by Rhonda McBride
Anchor Point - Cook Inlet may be an aging oil field, but it still has some surprises. A Texas company struck oil in March near Anchor Point and hopes to tap a reservoir that could hold between 70 and 200 million barrels of oil.BlueCrest Energy may have its headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, but it's headed by Benjamin Johnson, who grew up in Kenai and graduated from high school there. Johnson's parents lived in a cabin on the Anchor River just before he was born. He said the project is a dream … Continue Reading
06.24.16
KRBD: Senate committee talks about Tongass transition
by Leila Kheiry
The plan to transition to second-growth harvest on the Tongass National Forest was discussed during a Senate Energy Committee hearing Thursday morning in Washington, D.C. Most of the Senate hearing focused on funding for fighting wildfires, but Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who chairs that committee, has added a rider that would delay the transition until the U.S. Forest Service has completed a full inventory of young growth stands. In this exchange with Murkowski, Undersecretary of Natural Reso… Continue Reading
06.24.16
Alaska Dispatch News: Interior Department announces annual land payments for Alaska
by Erica Martinson
WASHINGTON - More than $28 million is headed to rural Alaska communities in payment for their work supporting national parks, wildlife refuges and public lands, the Interior Department announced this week. The funds come as part of a nationwide grant of $451.6 million to 1,900 local governments in the Payments in Lieu of Taxes program. PILT is meant to make up for lost property taxes in areas that have non-taxable federal land. Congress sets the overall annual funding level for the program, an… Continue Reading
06.24.16
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Congressional conference committee funds $295 million in Eielson F-35 construction
by Sam Friedman
FAIRBANKS - A congressional conference committee fully funded the military's request for $295 million in new Eielson Air Force Base construction Wednesday, restoring the $82 million F-35 weather shelter that the House of Representatives had cut from the budget. The 2017 budget bill funds many of the facilities that will be used for the new F-35 fighter jets, which are scheduled to arrive in 2020. The 2017 budget covers the largest construction year of F-35 construction build-up. The Eielson co… Continue Reading
06.23.16
Alaska Dispatch News: Let's keep all of Alaska's kids fed over the summer
by Suzanne Schafer
School is out for the summer. Our Alaska kiddos are running around in merriment, taking more dips in the many local swimming holes, camping and barbecuing with their families, experiencing a summer with record high temperatures. But, school being out for the summer is not all fun and games for all Alaska children. No school means no food for a needless number of our children. One in five children in Alaska live not knowing if they will have their next meal. Less than 15 percent of kids qualifyi… Continue Reading
06.22.16
Alaska Journal of Commerce: Interior budget bill takes another shot at King Cove road
by Elwood Brehmer
Alaska is a big part of the $32 billion bill headed to the Senate floor to fund the Interior Department, Environmental Protection Agency and the Forest Service. That shouldn't be surprising considering Sen. Lisa Murkowski chairs the Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee that drafted the legislation. The wide-ranging funding bill passed the Appropriations Committee June 16 on a 16-14 vote without Democrat support. "What we're trying to do is direct federal resources where they'r… Continue Reading
06.22.16
KTUU: Alaska's senators: Failed bills wouldn't have stopped Orlando shooting
by Kortnie Horazdovsky
ANCHORAGE As House Democrats staged a "sit-in" on the House floor in Washington, D.C. Wednesday, gun control measures are at the top of the minds of members of Congress. The U.S. Senate stalled movement on four different gun control measures Monday, with all four failing to reach the 60-vote threshold needed for a debate and forwarding vote. Two of the measures were proposed by Democrats, two by Republicans. Alaska's two Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both voted for two … Continue Reading
06.22.16
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Murkowski, Sullivan vote with party as gun purchase proposals fail in U.S. Senate
by Weston Morrow
FAIRBANKS-All four amendments addressing the purchasing of guns failed in the U.S. Senate on Monday, with Alaska Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan voting for the two GOP amendments and against the two Democratic proposals. The amendments went down mostly along party lines. The voting took place just more than a week after 49 people were killed and 53 more people were wounded by a person who opened fire in a gay nightclub in Orlando. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kent… Continue Reading
06.20.16
Juneau Empire: Letter: Murkowski leads on energy innovation
by James Dozier
"Is Murkowski part of the climate problem?" (June 13) just doesn't have all the facts on U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski's record of protecting Alaskans and providing for a healthy environment and economy. As Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee, Murkowski has acknowledged the impact our changing climate has on Alaska's environment and has taken action. Murkowski and her committee have supported the responsible development of all of our natural resources, including renewables su… Continue Reading
06.14.16
KTVF: Murkowski Fights Wotus Rule
by Staff Reporter
Senator Lisa Murkowski announced legislation today, through an Interior Appropriations Bill, that will block the Environmental Protection Agency's 'Waters of the United States', or WOTUS rule. Murkowski has long opposed the rule that she says would expand the EPA's ability to regulate Alaska's land and water.Her legislation imposes a one-year delay on the implementation of WOTUS. Her bill also facilitates a land transfer between the state and the federal government, allowing the construction of… Continue Reading
06.13.16
Fox News: Alaska Republicans back bill to prevent ObamaCare meltdown in state
by Adam Shaw
Alaska Republicans are joining with Democrats in taking drastic action to save the state's ObamaCare insurance system from spiraling into crisis, as all but one insurer flee the state and health care costs soar. While state Republicans remain largely opposed to the health care law, the GOP-dominated legislature passed a bill earlier this month that aims to prevent massive premium hikes and keep the ObamaCare system afloat for the thousands of residents already in the system. The measure was int… Continue Reading
05.24.16
Alaska Dispatch News: Congress takes a big step toward funding a new $1 billion Arctic icebreaker
by Erica Martinson
WASHINGTON - Alaska moved significantly closer to seeing a new Arctic icebreaker Tuesday as a Senate appropriations subcommittee added $1 billion to a bipartisan funding bill for a Navy-built ship. The move marks a major step forward in a yearslong campaign by Alaska lawmakers and others who say the U.S. needs to mind its dwindling Arctic infrastructure, particularly as a melting ice cap makes way for increased commercial shipping traffic and Russian military activity raises national security c… Continue Reading
05.22.16
Op-Ed: An energy bill for Alaska
by Senator Lisa Murkowski
In late April, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly approved a major energy bill for the first time in almost a decade. The Energy Policy Modernization Act is a broad rewrite of our increasingly outdated policies in this area. As you might expect, it reflects extensive input from Alaskans and contains dozens of provisions that will provide lasting benefits for our state. The first thing to say about this bill is: it's about time. The last time the Senate passed a significant energy bill was in 2007. … Continue Reading
05.09.16
Op-Ed: Moda's exit from Alaska insurance market reflects what ails Affordable Care Act
by Senator Lisa Murkowski
Alaskans have seen time and time again the negative impacts the Affordable Care Act is having on our state. I have shared the stories of hard-working Alaskans who are paying over $2,000 per month for the cheapest bronze plan available on the exchange. I have spoken on the Senate floor about how the ACA has been called the "single greatest threat" to quality public education, because school districts face hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines under the Cadillac Tax. And I have relayed stories… Continue Reading
04.24.16
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Energy bill home stretch: Sen. Murkowski’s legislation to modernize energy policy for Alaska, U.S.
by Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Editorial
Senate passage of the first comprehensive federal energy bill in a decade took months of negotiating, but Sen. Lisa Murkowski can attest to the fact that it was worth the fight. The landmark legislation, which Sen. Murkowski authored, will make a host of needed changes to U.S. energy policy, emphasizing renewable energy sources and efficiency while also cleaning up permitting for issues related to fossil fuels. The bill's final hurdle before heading to President Barack Obama for final passage in… Continue Reading
04.20.16
Alaska Dispatch News: Murkowski's energy bill passes Senate after months of delays
by Erica Martinson
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Lisa Murkowski scored a big win Wednesday when the Senate passed her energy bill -- the first in nearly a decade -- loaded with provisions to bolster renewable energy, clear the way for natural gas out of Alaska and even rename some federal land for a former Alaska governor. Last year Murkowski set up camp on the centerline, pledging to craft a bipartisan energy bill as chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, with help from the committee's ranking member, Sen. Ma… Continue Reading
