Lisa Murkowski

S. 881 DOES NOT 'FINALIZE' SOUTHEAST ALASKA NATIVE CLAIMS TO THE TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST BUT STARTS A CHAIN OF FUTURE EXCEPTIONS THAT MAY UNRAVEL LONG SETTLED ALASKA NATIVE LAND CLAIMS.

I think we recognize that we might be able to enhance budgets a little.

I think this bill will help to revive and strengthen our industrial competitiveness, restore our status as a manufacturing leader.

We'd like to commend you for the introduction of the Restoring America's Manufacturing Leadership through Energy Efficiency Act

We certainly can look at tax policies that encourage the manufacturing or re-growth of manufacturing in this country.

NWFPA thanks Chairman Bingaman, Senator Murkowski and the co-sponsors for introducing this bill and for recognizing the importance of energy efficiency to the competitiveness of U.S. industries.

Over the last few decades our global competitors have improved their productivity and have captured high value manufacturing capabilities and in products that were invented here in the United States.

I appreciate that. I think you've identified a critical issue that applies not only in nuclear, but in many of our other sectors where we have lost expertise overseas.

S. 661, the Industrial Energy Efficiency Improvement Act is a good bill because I think it really looks toward the future of manufacturing here in the United States.

We'd like to express our appreciation to you, Senator Murkowski and to the other members who've been supportive of this bill.

We have not been investing in the manufacturing sector here in the United States over the last 15 years.

I would hope that you'd be willing to take a look at it perhaps with a fresh approach.

Do you believe that the energy development and the environmental protection can be balanced, or are we going to be in a situation where we're having to place additional lands off limits for development?

I wanted to ask you about the decision that came out last week in Federal district court here regarding the guns in parks.

We recognize that you can have development of your resources or otherwise, you can have development in concert with care and protection of our environment.

We recognize that, as competent and as able as our friend and former colleague Secretary Salazar is, he can't do this job alone.

We should be using science, not politics.

Technology is out pacing our ability to set effective standards. So it's time that we streamline the process.

We know that markets aren't perfect. But much of our success in the manufacturing arena is due to the ingenuity within the private sector.

This is another important step as we work to craft a comprehensive energy bill that's ultimately going to help improve our energy security.

I think for far too long we've let bureaucracy stand in the way of implementing consensus efficiency standards for appliances.

We do need to be more aggressive in staying on top of things rather than operating under agreements that are perhaps 10 years old.

I would think that from industry's perspective, that from the consumer's perspective this is something that will keep us nimble.

Can you meet it? Can you meet it, given the funding that you have received through the omnibus, and meet that 3-year period?

The decision that was made by the Administration through the budget blueprint that essentially pulls back on Yucca...