Lisa Murkowski

I also strongly support the proposal to advance appropriations for the Indian Health Service.

Increased investment in our National Trails System (NTS) is required to meet demand and to address maintenance and improvement needs.

Unfortunately, planning for dozens of national wildlife refuges has fallen behind schedule, depriving managers, partners and the public of the latest science and best practices to provide for these values.

Chair Merkley, Ranking Member Murkowski, and Members of the Subcommittee, I appreciate this opportunity to present the National Trust for Historic Preservation's recommendations for Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations.

This request of $600 million for FY 2022, an increase of $112 million over FY 2021 appropriations, would greatly impact our refuge.

I want to express my strong support for the Administration's historic proposed $2.2 billion increase in Indian Health Service funding.

We thank Chairman Merkley, Ranking Member Murkowski, and Subcommittee Members for your steadfast support of Tribes and Tribal Organizations like CRRC.

I am committed to working with ANVCA and the affected folks to identify the sites that I know have not yet been put on one of these lists.

I take your point on consultation very seriously.

We have an obligation on the Federal side to clean up messes that have been created by our own government.

Sometimes we just have to acknowledge that it is going to cost money.

We have an obligation to clean up the messes that we create.

The responsibility falls on the U.S. Government.

Do you think that we appropriately or adequately fund the Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Program?

We cannot continue with more of the same. Because more of the same is an injustice to these people and to Alaska Natives and people really all over our State and in our Country.

We cannot, we cannot continue to say it is somebody else's responsibility.

We should have thought about that before we exposed them to these situations where their health is compromised.

Thank you all. I appreciate your contributions to the discussions.

We have not only Ounalashka Corporation that has its own environmental team.

I think it was beyond more than just a key role. I think I asked you to be the coordinating agency.

We need commitment that is enforceable from the Federal Government to make this.

I think you mentioned a Head Start building here in Unalaska. Walk me through exactly what you are dealing with there.

And Mayor, that was one of the things that you had mentioned in your comments as well, is that the Ounalashka Corporation would like to be more included in cleanup aspects of it, and recognizing that this builds capacity and provides for…

But it shouldn't be hard for the people who gave up 90 percent of their country for $60 billion or $30 billion.

I think we recognize that when it comes to land conveyances in this State, none of this is easy.