I believe there is a strong potential for bipartisan legislation that supports many of the goals that NOAA is setting out in your initiative.

We look forward to working with Senator Wicker to clarify the statutory authorities and provide the regulatory certainty required for a robust domestic aquaculture industry.

I'd like to get your commitment, once the salmon season is done in Alaska, to have you and your top officials...

The United States is often viewed as having the best-managed and healthiest fisheries in the world.

I actually happen to agree with that, particularly as it relates to China.

it is Thursday afternoon, and it is one of my favorite times of the week. I know for many of my fellow Senators, including the Presiding Officer and the pages, this is one of their favorite times of the week, too, because it is the time…

I have no idea what that is.

Dr. Wilga is a proud Athabaskan Alaska Native like my wife and my daughters.

I am pleased to introduce one of the panelists today, Dr. Cheryl Wilga, who is the Director of Biological Sciences at the University of Alaska, Anchorage.

There has been an issue where Federal agencies, in my view, have abused their statutory authority.

I think in terms of expertise, particularly the State of Alaska, we have thousands of State employees who are the top experts in the field.

I appreciate the hard work, and again, bipartisan work.

I just think that is an abuse of authority, and I am certainly hopeful that this legislation can rein in that kind of decisionmaking that doesn't have any statutory basis.

I think it is an important component.

Even Director Ashe, under President Obama, was saying we don't think that is helpful; we think we should be able to reform that to have a much more narrow process.

I co-chaired the Endangered Species Act Working Group with my Democratic co-chair, Gary King.

Thank you, Mr. President. I wish to commend my colleague from Ohio. The national parks mean so much to us in Alaska, and I am looking forward to getting on that bill as a cosponsor. It is a very important piece of legislation. Once again…

I want to thank my colleague Senator Murkowski from the great State of Alaska--our great State--for talking about someone we really care about and someone who will do really important things for the entire country. Senator Murkowski talked…

I think it's safe to say certainly my number one priority as Alaska's Senator is to bring back strong economic growth and job opportunities for all of our State.

Small businesses are the backbone, as I mentioned, of our economy and the Nation's economy.

I think it's been read wrong. I don't think you, Mr. Secretary, Madam Secretary, need to personally sign off.

She kept her commitment. When she went through the Senate confirmation process, one of the commitments I asked of her was to get to Alaska soon in her tenure, and she did that.

I just want to thank you, your boss, Administrator McMahon, who I know has a very good relationship with Chairman Risch and with me and Senator Murkowski.

I think it's going to help everybody, and I think the secretaries of the different military services were, once they looked with their lawyers at what I was talking about, I think they were fine and had to sign them.

Alaska Natives and American Indians are still the poorest of the poor in the Nation.