Senator Murkowski and I have introduced a commission on the status of Native Americans bill because I think we have for too long siloed these issues.

I have asked every cabinet secretary as I've had an opportunity in these appropriations hearings.

if we're going to say the Arctic is a priority, we have to match resources to the message.

I appreciate your statement, Mr. Secretary, that something to the effect of energy insecurity of our allies impacts our national security here.

But we have not seen any permits. We have not seen any application.

I would ask for a commitment that we would--that you would be able to hold at least one, hopefully more, public events scheduled in the State so that resource producers, other stakeholders can express their views and concerns.

I do not know. Based on what you have just said, it still sounds to me like there is an expansion of that study.

I would like your commitment to continue the practice that we have had over the past couple of years to have your senior folks with operational authority sitting down with my senior advisers.

I would hope that you would look to whether or not there is a possibility to do some reordering within the queue.

What that might mean for us is incredibly significant.

Unfortunately, rather than collaboration, we have been on the receiving end of what we believe to be a regulatory onslaught that threatens our economy and, in certain cases, our way of life.

I think that the States are doing a good job here in terms of regulating hydraulic fracking.

I appreciate a desire for consistency and certainty, but you have started your comments out recognizing that there are unique to a State like Alaska.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to take you back to the Clean Water Act and the connectivity issue.

I think it will be critically important that you and your staff make sure that Alaska is very much given an opportunity to weigh in as these issues move forward.

I think everyone here who understands Indian Country understands the importance of forward funding.

So you are not planning on exercising a preemptive veto then.

I have come to the floor today to discuss the opportunity we have as a nation to truly take a leadership role when it comes to responsible development of the Arctic region. As we discuss the great opportunities and the challenges that face…

I think we are waiting here for a couple of minutes. I will use a couple of minutes to speak again to those who come to our assistance when it comes to the enforcement of our fisheries laws--the men and women of our Coast Guard, NOAA, and…

I thank my friend and my colleague from Rhode Island, who also is my cochair on the Senate Oceans Caucus. As he has noted, this is an issue of IUU fishing--illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing--and, really, that is too polite a…

This issue is very very important to me and I intend to pursue it.

Last year I introduced the Fairness in Disclosure of Evidence Act with the intention of ensuring that the obligation to disclose exculpatory evidence to Federal defendants in accordance with the Brady ruling was uniformly applied across…

I continue to seek further answers in the miserable prosecution that brought Senator Ted Stevens down.

We've been told about the training. But, again, you've got--you don't have uniformity across the districts.

At the end of the day my bill was unacceptable to the department but the department failed to express the parameters of a bill that would be acceptable.