Lisa Murkowski: “With reluctance, I ask support of this amendment, and obviously it has been done. But I want to make the point that the…”

“With reluctance, I ask support of this amendment, and obviously it has been done. But I want to make the point that the provision in the current bill is one that we have all committed to, and that is of having the strategic petroleum reserve and the reality that we are addressing it with the crisis on the budget. That is not the purpose. The Akaka amendment provided a purchase mechanism after 2002. I think it is the right policy for this Nation, and we are only talking about $13 million a year. I think that is a small price to pay for energy security, but nevertheless recognizing the circumstances, why, I reluctantly ask support.”