Lisa Murkowski

It's the essence of democracy.

I want to echo the concerns that have been raised by both the Virgin Islands Attorney General and the U.S. Department of Justice regarding the constitutionality of some of the provisions.

Fairness, transparency and consensus are paramount to this debate.

Shouldn't Congress know whether the majority of the people of Puerto Rico consent to this arrangement?

I do have great sympathy for the desire of the people of Puerto Rico to resolve their political status.

It is for the people of Puerto Rico, including those communities in the United States, to exercise their right to self-determination--not Congress.

It's important that Congress, at the very least, give some guidance to the people of Puerto Rico.

I think that that's critical.

I appreciate the fact that you have acknowledged that we're going to need oil from some time to come.

So, it would be your intention, then, to make sure that they have, again, what I'm calling substantial, direct, and professional experience in these various areas.

I think it is, particularly at this time, shortsighted of us as a Nation to even think about putting Anwar into wilderness status.

What is the threshold to certify that these operators have the necessary assets?

There's been a lot of discussion about the relationship between MMS and the oil and gas industry, as it relates to the standards and establishing the standards for operation in the Gulf.

Secretary Salazar, you are very welcome here today to help us gather answers and understand how this happened and whether the process leading up to it included failures of its own.

The collective obligations today are that BP, all those that are involved, are held responsible, held accountable.

Hearings like this one, debate, markups, floor time, and deliberation are all ingredients that lend themselves to passage of strong bipartisan legislation that can minimize unintended consequences.

We need to pursue an understanding of how the Interior Department can rise from this tragedy and be stronger.

We've got an obligation to care for them in that manner.

I represent a State that was devastated a little more than 20 years ago when the Exxon Valdez hit the rocks. We lived with oil on our beaches. We know the economic impact. We know the social impact that a spill can cause. We want to all be…

Let me ask you. You've indicated that you're asking for information on any modifications. Do you have any reason to believe that the Deepwater Horizon BOP was modified?

But you maintain that because MMS did not require it there was no necessity from BP's part in doing anything?

Do you believe that it would have helped BP, Transocean, Halliburton, in this instance had there been a specific blowout prevention plan?

Let me ask you the same question. Within your interests outside the United States, have you requested any additional safety measures or modification procedures as a result of this incident?

OK, but why would that modification have been requested?

Given where we are after the Deepwater Horizon incident, have you ordered any additional safety measures or modified procedures for operation outside the U.S. based on this incident?