Lisa Murkowski: “I do not necessarily support every provision in this legislation as drafted, but I do support the underlying objective…”

“I do not necessarily support every provision in this legislation as drafted, but I do support the underlying objective of redressing the balance of power and authority between Washington and Agana. As a result of my trip to Guam last year, I introduced legislation to deal with the disposal of surplus Federal property and prevent any future land grabs such as the one engaged in by the Fish and Wildlife Service. That legislation was not everything that either the Governor or I would have preferred, but I think that the end result of the Senate action, if finally enacted, will be a significant improvement in Federal- territorial relations. I intend to take the same constructive approach to the provisions of this legislation. I appreciate that questions have been raised over some of the provisions from constitutional as well as policy grounds, but that should not be an excuse to avoid addressing the underlying concerns that led to the drafting and approval of those provisions by the voters in Guam. As I said before, we have a lot of experience with foolish and petty restrictions from Federal agencies. As a percentage, far more of Alaska is subject to Federal land domination and our communities suffer the consequences of an inability to obtain transportation and utility corridors across the Federal lands.”