Lisa Murkowski

All of these actions will slow down rather than speed up domestic energy production.

The President's budget proposals would have this Nation turn its back on workers in the petroleum industry.

I think that we have to take every reasonable opportunity to promote clean, alternative sources of energy.

The vast majority of Americans are going to run their cars on petroleum for the foreseeable future.

Punishing the domestic oil and gas industry will not bring the age of renewable energy any faster.

I've been trying to build one big line for about 10 years, and the process is daunting. We need to streamline this.

Senator Murkowski. Let me ask you, Chairman Wellinghoff, about the announcement from Secretary Salazar, his secretarial order yesterday that called for Interior to not only establish these renewable energy zones, but to handle the…

The country needs a plan that will result in the construction of new transmission lines to these renewable energy-rich zones.

But just if I could understand your comments, then, if it's made available.

I think you're exactly right.

I think FERC would be an appropriate one to do that, to the extent that it is this system that we're talking about.

Part of this legislation is to break the logjam that's preventing access to incredible renewable energy potential.

Senator Murkowski. Would you agree, commissioner, that these are not duplicative, but that you've got focuses in different areas that allow for greater collaboration, as opposed to creating a choke point?

I want to follow up on the planning side of it. There's certainly a lot of transmission planning that is happening right now.

We need to take it where there are people.

Energy security is a national goal and transmission infrastructure is a backbone requirement.

Several years ago I introduced legislation that would enhance and build the stream monitoring gauges in the State of Alaska.

I think we recognize that an energy technology that is cheap to produce and has zero emissions is useless if it's really going to consume more water than we can supply.

I truly believe that we're going that way. When you understand how all that we're trying to do as we move to this new world of renewables and recognizing that you can't get there from here without significant water.

I think we're all interested in the connection between the two.

So I'm pleased to see that we're placing this emphasis on the water use efficiency.

But this goes back to my question in the first round is there what needs to be done from the Federal policy.

Just very quickly Ms. Wince-Smith. You mentioned just the investment and recognizing that the current investment markets are in pretty tough shape.

Nuclear has got to be part of the solution as we work to reduce our emissions.

It's important. It has to happen.