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U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today welcomed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) proposal of a new method to calculate annual charges for hydropower projects on federal lands in Alaska. FERC is seeking comment on the use of a statewide average per-acre land value rather than a regional per-acre land value, which would reduce recent land use fee increases and help lower the cost of future projects.

The Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs held an oversight hearing exploring ways to improve infrastructure in tribal and insular communities.

Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both R-Alaska, this week introduced four Alaska-focused bills. The bills would expand the use of clean, renewable hydropower to generate affordable electricity for Alaska communities, reroute a portion of a proposed gasline in Denali National Park and Preserve, and rename an existing wilderness area in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve

Alaska Congressman Don Young and the U.S. House of Representatives today passed H.R. 5303, the Water Resource Development Act (WRDA) of 2016, bipartisan legislation to promote economic competitiveness and strengthen the nation’s water transportation and infrastructure needs – including harbors and ports in coastal states like Alaska

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) appointed Alaska Congressman Don Young to serve on a conference committee charged with producing final energy and natural resources legislation between the House and Senate. Young’s appointment comes following House-passage of its own version of the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2016, which includes H.R 8, the North American Energy and Security and Infrastructure Act, and numerous other House-passed bills relating to energy, natural resources and public lands.

The U.S. Senate passed the first funding bill of the year, the FY17 Energy and Water Appropriations bill in a vote of 90-8. This is the first time since 2009 the U.S. Senate has passed this appropriations measure on the floor as a standalone bill under regular order. The measure will fund U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) programs and critical infrastructure projects administered by the Army Corps of Engineers.

At the Rural Energy Conference in Fairbanks, AK, today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced 13 recipients of Remote Alaska Communities Energy Efficiency (RACEE) technical assistance, and released its “Sustainable Energy Solutions for Rural Alaska” report.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved two amendments offered by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) to her broad, bipartisan energy bill. The first, to provide needed flexibility to the Alaska gasline project, passed the Senate by voice vote. The second, to add a resources title composed of 30 lands and water bills to the underlying bill, later passed by a roll call vote of 97 to 0.

The Alaska Legislature acted to improve the state’s power of attorney’s law to better serve our pioneers, elders and combat fraud. House Bill 8 by Representative Shelley Hughes is in response to the problems caused in our current laws that hinder reasonable elder care powers of attorney (POA,) like allowing parties to be separated by state lines, among others. The measure carries a number of statute changes to better serve Alaskans by better defining state law and improving the statutory POA form

Rural Alaska’s widespread lack of modern and robust water and sewer infrastructure stands to get a thorough review following the Alaska House’s passage of a bill by Rep. Neal Foster to create an advisory committee to study the best ways to improve conditions.

The Alaska House of Representatives today voted to close a loophole in the process for accepting additional funds for items in the budget when the legislature is not in session, protecting Alaska’s constitutional balance of powers

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today criticized the Department of the Interior for wasting more than $100,000 on a study of “non-road alternatives” that will not adequately provide emergency medical transportation for the residents of King Cove, Alaska. Murkowski posted the study after Interior, despite a recent public commitment from Secretary Sally Jewell, only provided it to a small handful of King Cove officials.

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, held a field hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in Fairbanks to examine opportunities to create jobs and strengthen national security by increasing Alaska’s resource production. The field hearing was held on Monday at the Pipeline Training Center and featured testimony from stakeholders in Alaska’s oil, gas, mineral, and economic development sectors

Legislation by Rep. Shelley Hughes to streamline the mortgage loan originator (MLO) laws to get rid of unnecessary duplication for contract MLOs cleared its final hurdle in the House and now will head to the governor. The Alaska House concurred in Senate changes to House Bill 12.

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) pressed Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, Jo-Ellen Darcy, on the need for a deep water port in the Arctic region. During an Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee hearing focusing on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers budget request, Murkowski challenged officials for not funding the proposed port project in Nome, Alaska.