Lisa Murkowski

Americans who served and fought and put their lives on the line receive a resting place in our national cemeteries and the men who saved American lives deserve the same honor.

This bill would authorize those heroes to rest alongside their brothers in arms on our Nation's most hallowed grounds.

We honor them by keeping our commitments.

It's my understanding that NEPA does require that the Department analyze all reasonable alternatives for ANWR.

I do hope that they're not hot air. I do hope that there is real substance that we, as Alaskans, are not only engaged but I will reach out to my colleagues from all States.

I know that it's a tricky issue in terms of Federal revenues going here and then, you know, what to use to support the Federal Government.

I understand where the politics is on this.

I would commend that to you for your review.

What they're suggesting is that a share of the mineral payments that Alaska would receive would be utilized to help cover the costs for the conveyances.

I cannot understand why any State should ever be expected to effectively pay the Federal Government to perform that Federal obligation of conveying the lands that have been approved by Congress and clearly passed Administrations.

Knowing that you're all looking at that is important.

We're hopeful that we'll have an opportunity to have that bill presented here before the committee.

The other thing I learned in my most recent meeting with Bud Crippley from Alaska was that in fact there will be no surveys that will be conducted in Alaska this year.

It's categorically unacceptable.

Dear Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Murkowski:

I think we've also got to deliver the same kind of wake-up call on this question of a new focus on prevention.

When one of these conflagrations rips through a community, nobody is sitting around talking about Democrats and Republicans.

We've all been talking about the FLAME Act and how it hasn't been working as we had intended.

Isn't it the situation though that you have different fires that require different types of suppression and clearly different types of aviation assets?

I mentioned to the Chairman that one thing we seem to have a problem with here in the Congress, is being proactive when it comes to any form of prevention.

But it seems to me that when you take the money from the program, you would reduce the number of fires you're going to have to deal with.

It's a priority. Secretary Jewell has described the condition of our Western forests as a tinder box.

It's time for the Office of Management and Budget to actually implement this law as intended.

I am encouraged by the announcement last month by the Forest Service of 5 new 'Next Generation' air tankers contracts that are pending.

I think our priorities are out of whack.