Remarks to the Alaska State Legislature
Senator Lisa Murkowski
February 19, 2019
[As Prepared, Not Delivered]

Madam President, Mr. Speaker, members of the House and Senate: thank you for
the invitation to be here today and for your warm welcome.
It is always an honor to be with you. Especially in these chambers, where
Alaskans have come together, generation after generation, to a chart a path to a
better, stronger, and more prosperous future.
When I served here over 16 years ago, my sons Nic and Matt were just young
boys. Verne was running the pasta company. Today, Matt has taken over the
family business and Nic is about to graduate from law school.
We have spent a lot of time talking with families recently. During the partial
government shutdown, we met and held calls with dozens of federal employees,
their spouses, and other Alaskans who were impacted.
The media focused on the number of federal workers who were furloughed or
working without pay. But the effects of the shutdown were much broader.
The Yukon Quest was threatened until we were able to secure USDA approval for
critical supplies. Captains of crabbers and trawlers were worried about whether
they could go fishing or be stuck in port until we pushed for the inspections they
needed. We worked with Senator Kiehl to ensure the school in Gustavus would
continue to receive safe drinking water.
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 Yet, for every hurdle we helped overcome, there was a small business that couldn’t
get its loan processed, a project left waiting on a permit, and a local restaurant
struggling to make up for lost business.
The shutdown was a reminder of the role the federal government plays in our state
and in our communities. And, like the recent earthquake that continues to rattle
Southcentral, it was a reminder that Alaskans always come together to rise to the
occasion.
Alaska’s credit unions and banks stepped up to help families bridge the gaps. Air
traffic controllers and TSA agents kept our skies safe and airplanes flying. Coast
Guard families told me they were thankful to be stationed in our small coastal
communities because they felt those communities supported them.
Whether you are Coast Guard, a federal agency employee, or a contractor, thank
you for your service and for holding on during the shutdown. We averted another
shutdown this past weekend, and I’m working with my colleagues to prevent this
from ever happening again.
A shutdown is no way to govern. So yes, it’s been a frustrating start to the year. (I
think I’m in good company in saying that here.) But despite the frustration in
Washington, we have seen a series of genuine successes for our state this year that
are worthy of mention.
We passed major opioid legislation that assist community driven solutions like the
Mat-Su Opioids Task Force’s goal to support opioid withdrawal management.
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 We provide tools to address the opioid treatment workforce shortage in Alaska,
expand treatment for substance use disorder programs, increase the use of
telehealth programs, and help stop the flow of opioids and fentanyl through the
mail.
We supported our troops through the biggest pay raise in nearly 10 years and
passed significant legislation to provide our veterans with greater access to
healthcare closer to their homes. We passed legislation to modernize our airports
and enhance aviation safety. We made significant investments in safe drinking
water improvements and advancements to facilitate hydropower – benefiting
Terror Lake, Swan Lake, and Mahoney Lake.
For our fishermen, the delegation worked together to secure a permanent
exemption for our fishing fleet from unnecessary discharge regulations. I want to
thank Senator Sullivan, in particular, for his leadership on the Coast Guard
reauthorization bill, which allowed this issue to finally be resolved.
Through my role on the Appropriations Committee, I’ve been able to steer
NOAA’s budget in a manner that supports Alaskan fisheries and sustains the
scientific work needed to manage our resources properly, with maximum input
from Alaskans. And I’ve made sure that legislative efforts to establish a federal
permitting framework for aquaculture protect states’ ability to have a say in what is
happening just off our shores.

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 And then, just last Thursday, we passed omnibus legislation to fund agencies
including NOAA, the Department of the Interior, USDA, and Transportation for
the rest of the fiscal year. We included full funding for PILT and funds to tackle
water and wastewater infrastructure, the housing crisis in rural Alaska, wildfire
suppression and hazardous fuels mitigation, rural broadband, and other critical
programs.
We also added $900 million for BUILD grants, an infrastructure program that
recently provided funding for the Nenana-Totchaket bridge we worked with
Senator Coghill to secure. That development will open access to some 900,000
acres of agricultural, university, and state forest land.
Increasing access to Alaska’s lands and waters for responsible development takes a
concerted effort every day at the federal level. And we are seeing real results up
north in our push to open new acreage in the National Petroleum Reserve and the
Coastal Plain.
Experts are taking note. IHS Markit – the premier energy consultants – recently
upgraded the North Slope to a “super basin” with production projected to grow by
40 percent over the next eight years. And just a few weeks ago, the Energy
Information Administration reported that it now expects Alaska production to be 90
percent higher from 2031 to 2050 compared to last year’s base forecast.
After years of concern about the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, we are turning a corner.
And producing oil here in Alaska, for as long as our nation and the world demand
it, will create jobs, generate revenues, and give us time to diversify our economy.

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 Another area where we are working towards greater access is right here in the
Tongass National Forest. Last year, the Department of Agriculture and the Forest
Service initiated a state-specific Roadless Rule. We are pushing hard for a full
exemption. This is important as this is our best chance to secure new opportunities
for Southeast communities to grow and prosper. Whether for timber, renewable
energy, mining or tourism. Access is key. Just as it is on our public lands at the
federal level.
Just last week, the Senate passed my bipartisan lands package, which bundled
together more than 120 land, water, conservation, and sportsmen’s bills. That
package is a reflection of years of regular order process. Dozens of hearings and
business meetings. And it shows that when we reach for bipartisanship, we can
achieve overwhelming consensus.
As you might expect, this lands package is filled with Alaska priorities. It provides
routing flexibility for our proposed natural gas pipeline. It creates new economic
opportunities for communities like Kake and Utkiagvik. And it includes a
provision from Senator Sullivan that will finally uphold the promises made to
Alaska Natives who served during the Vietnam War, but who never received the
land allotments owed to them by the federal government.
My bill prioritizes access to public lands for hunting and fishing with policy that
clearly states that federal land is open unless closed. And it has significant
conservation measures including permanently reauthorization of the Land and
Water Conservation Fund with reforms that strengthen the state-side program,
which benefits Alaska’s state park system.

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 The final Senate vote on our lands package was 92 to 8. And it’s now over in the
House of Representatives, where it’s in good hands with the Dean of the House –
Don Young – who has been taking care of business for Alaska on his side of
Capitol Hill for more than forty years running.
As Chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, I’m also pushing to
keep regulatory approval for our gasline project on track. And that means filling
vacancies on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and ensuring there are
sufficient personnel to process the State’s massive application.
We’re coordinating with the Department of Energy, FERC, and others to protect
our nation’s cybersecurity because we know our infrastructure is vulnerable and
that everyone – even our Railbelt utilities – are high-value targets.
Another of my top priorities is to update and modernize our energy policies to
promote innovation – an area where Alaska is already leading the way.
After years of careful cultivation and immense effort, the Department of Energy
and the private sector are looking to Alaska as the place for innovation – whether
in microgrids, renewables, advanced nuclear, or other technologies.
Just last month, we made significant progress on a potentially historic methane
hydrate test well on the North Slope, for what we hope will be a groundbreaking
demonstration. We have methane hydrates in almost unfathomable quantities –
and our collaborative approach could take us to unprecedented levels of
innovation.

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 We all know that too many Alaskans, especially in rural Alaska, continue to pay
some of the highest energy prices in the country. And many of our rural
communities are also on the front lines of climate change. Innovation will be a
major factor in addressing both of those challenges.
This is an area where federal partnerships matter. That’s how Stebbins and St.
Michael are acquiring a new wind turbine. How Newtok is acquiring a heat
recovery system. How the Unalakleet Native Corporation will upgrade their
transmission lines and wind-diesel microgrid. How Nushagak is developing plans
for a regional hydroelectric project. How in St. Mary’s, the Alaska Village Electric
Cooperative and its partners are teaming up to install a 900-kilowatt wind turbine
and intertie to Mountain Village.
These projects will make a real difference for local residents. The cost of
electricity was 80 cents per kilowatt hour in Newtok last year before Power Cost
Equalization. In St. Mary’s, it was 50 cents per kilowatt. And in Mountain
Village, heating oil was nearly $7.00 per gallon – twice what the average American
had to pay. So these projects mean not only cleaner energy, but also cheaper
energy.
The innovation happening in our rural communities is drawing attention to the
North and as more agencies see what is happening in Alaska it is bolstering our
efforts in the Arctic. It’s been a long journey, but we are finally seeing greater
support for our efforts to ensure the U.S. fulfills its role as an Arctic nation and
assert our national interests in the region.

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 We know we have a long ways to go, but I want to thank this legislature for your
advocacy and ask that you continue to push this issue with me.
The omnibus spending bill provides funding – $655 million – to fully construct the
first Polar Security Cutter and more to start a second. The Department of Defense
has really stepped up to the plate on the issues surrounding the Arctic. And while I
am eager to work with them, there is more to the Arctic than just the national
security perspective.
We must not forget about the people of the Arctic.
Late last year we introduced several bills to reinvigorate America’s approach to the
Arctic, to bring indigenous voices to Arctic policy and to counterbalance Russia’s
increasing dominance over Arctic shipping. My legislation codifies the Arctic
Executive Steering Committee to ensure the resources – and more importantly the
personnel – are devoted to a working Arctic policy for our nation.
So I close my remarks by coming back to the people who make it all happen – I am
reminded that the mantra during the Reagan administration was “Personnel is
Policy.”
Opening the 1002 Area wasn’t just about passing a bill – it is now about the efforts
of qualified and competent personnel to process permits and reflect what Alaskans
expect from a responsible resource development project.

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 Tackling crime and the public safety crisis across rural and urban Alaska will take
experienced public safety professionals at all levels together to find, implement,
and deliver creative solutions.
As we remember the importance of personnel to policy, I want to acknowledge my
own staff, several of whom are here today:
 Garrett Boyle, who grew up in places like Ouzinke and Seward, is my
Legislative Director.
 John Crowther, of Anchorage, and formerly with the Governor’s office in
Washington and the Department of Natural Resources in Alaska, has joined
my energy team as counsel for oil and gas policy.
 Annie Hoefler, also from Anchorage, who played a big role in the lands
package, is also on my Energy Committee staff.
 Ann Robertson, from right here in Juneau, is my “fish girl” or more
formally, my fisheries, maritime, and oceans advisor.
 And Dana Herndon, the newest member to the team, is our Juneau
Delegation Representative and works for both myself and Senator Sullivan.
As many of you here in Juneau know, Connie McKenzie retired at the end of
last year following a long, successful career representing the Alaska
delegation here locally.
My staff and I are here for every Alaskan, every day, no matter how great or small
the issue may be.

Resolving challenges with Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and
immigration services.
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 Pushing agencies to make timely decisions and prioritize permits.
Or simply working with the Postal Service to ensure bypass mail deliveries.
Our success reflects the efforts of Alaskans – Alaskans like Martin B. Moore Sr.
His tireless work secured a BUILD grant for the Lower Yukon Regional Port
Project in Emmonak. His vision will deliver critical infrastructure that will have
lasting economic impacts throughout the region – providing jobs and reducing
transportation costs.
Alaska’s challenges are certainly great, but our opportunities are endless and the
people of Alaska are our greatest resource.
I am honored to be able to work with you to support the efforts of all Alaskans as
we break down barriers to access, chart new pathways for our future, and ensure a
safer, stronger Alaska for our families.
Thank you.

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