Lisa Murkowski

What we will focus on today is the importance of renewable energy power sources, as I say, to meet our Nation's energy needs.

Thank you for your continued commitment to all Alaskans and Alaska's energy needs.

Are these assets important? To those that understand them, of course!

I want to thank you Senator Murkowski for stepping up to the plate an asking Congress to support funding for ice breakers in the Arctic.

You briefly mentioned that the United States Coast Guard supports ratification of the Law of the Sea Treaty? Why?

We will have something to really look back at with pride in terms of what we have developed because we acted in a manner that was proactive rather than reactive.

Now is the time for the level of cooperation with the other Arctic nations in so many different ways.

I would sort of lay the gauntlet down to them on how are they going to work with the rest of the Alaskans to get that message out there and try and get some positive action.

And that argument needs to be made exceptionally clear.

Our challenge will be to make sure that we have actually put things in place before we see the level of activity increase.

We can actually prepare because we have got somewhat of a blank slate out there.

The Bering Strait, sometimes now called the Bering Gate, is a prime strategic area.

I hope the Congress will remember this as you determine America's new role as an Arctic Nation.

Also, the Arctic has very little emergency response capability for an area that is so vast and remote.

It's a preventive measure that makes as much sense in the Arctic as it does in Prince William Sound, where it was put in place after the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

Spill prevention and response measures should be viewed as a really good investment that pays dividends in avoiding the costs of a spill.

Such vast upside potential carries with it a responsibility to use world-class safeguards that minimize any potential costs in damage to the Arctic environment and the subsistence way of life.

We think it's important for these to be separately monitored and analyzed in the course of development, because most Arctic wildlife species migrate over vast distances and are susceptible to these cumulative changes.

That's the only way to prevent what has happened in the past few years, when environmental reviews and other regulatory standards have been so poorly applied that it forced us into court, which is not where we want to engage with the…

I want to applaud Senator Murkowski for recognizing this in her proposed legislation that requires any offshore oil and gas production to use pipelines to shore-based facilities rather than tanker transportation across Arctic waters to…

I want to publicly recognize you and your leadership on how we are assuming the role as an Arctic nation and moving responsibly to lay the groundwork for what we know is coming in terms of increased activity up there.

I appreciate that commitment. I appreciate all that the Coast Guard does to serve us here in Alaska and around the country.

Most in the United States, I would dare say, do not believe or do not think of the United States as an Arctic nation.

But that too is part of this needs assessment that you are undertaking to determine exactly what that is.

As far as our icebreakers go and our capacity, we have had the discussion about what the Congress is doing right now to put forward funding to bring into operational readiness one of our icebreakers.