I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on May 9, 2012, at 2:30 p.m., in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building. The Committee will…

today I rise with my colleague from Arkansas, Senator Boozman, to introduce a bill that will help veterans who have been forced out of their homes because of domestic violence. This bill will expand the definition of homeless veteran to…

on the occasion of his upcoming inauguration for his second term in office, I am pleased to commend Republic of China, Taiwan, President Ma Ying-jeou. President Ma has shown himself to be a dedicated public servant, continually electing to…

I come down to talk about the issue of student loans, as someone who has two ends of this equation--one as the former chairman of the Student Loan Corporation for the State of Alaska for 7 years. I took that corporation from the brink of…

I think that is the point that the Chairman and Senator Collins brought up, how some of these contractors get to come back for repeat business and rip off this government in the 'gabillions.'

I support the Coast Guard Authorization Act (S. 1665) that increases Coast Guard end strength to 49,350.

What we see unfolding is a slow-motion environmental disaster that will far exceed any single pollution event to hit the west coast of North America, including the Exxon Valdez and Santa Barbara oil spills.

today I rise to submit a resolution to recognize the Week of the Young Child. My resolution recognizes April 22 to 28 as the Week of the Young Child. This week in Alaska, and in States and communities across the Nation, we celebrate and…

I rise to support S. 1925, the Violence Against Women Act. It is not every day that we vote on a law that actually saves lives, but this one does. The Senate needs to send the simple and important message that America will not tolerate…

Thank you, Chairman Cardin, and also the other members that are here for holding this hearing today.

Since it was created in 1934 the Federal Duck Stamp Program has been one of the most successful conservation tools in history.

I come to the floor today to introduce a piece of legislation honoring a great Alaskan. Robert Boochever was a giant of my state's judicial community for over 60 years--even longer than Alaska has been a State. This legislation, naming the…

today I wish to pay tribute to my esteemed colleague, Senator Barbara Mikulski from the great State of Maryland. I am honored to recognize the historic achievements of my fellow Senator. On Saturday she became the longest-serving woman in…

just as I expected, we have been in this back-and-forth show-and-tell on oil and gas issues instead of spending the time and working on a real energy plan, one that is important for not only my State, my colleague's State, but for the…

I would like to enter into a colloquy with my colleague from Louisiana. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Udall of Colorado). Without objection, it is so ordered. Energy Planning

I thank my friend from Louisiana, and I will conclude by saying again that her point about being smart and strategic is what we are saying. No one is saying either/or, that it has to be this or that. It is a combination of things. Some…

Absolutely. I will tell the Senator we have been exporting for 40 years. We have been doing that because of our ability to do so and being able to get to the Pacific Asian market. Overall, the State here--through all its natural resources…

If I can, I will add one more point before we finish. If these incentives are so bad, then why are we at a 10-year high in production? Why do we see in Alaska more independence than ever before? Probably in the Senator's State I venture to…

If I could add, in this Chukchi/Beaufort, for example, it is estimated that the cumulative state, local, Federal value over the next 50 years in terms of revenue stream is upwards of $100 billion. If we then talk about the payroll over the…

Some of those ships will be refurbished and some of the work that is being done is out of the Port of Seattle and Tacoma and that region. It is a nationwide aspect. Think about this. In 2011, the oil and gas industry produced 9 percent of…

Well, absolutely. As a matter of fact, as we know, this line--this is the pipeline that brings resources from here down to Valdez and ships it throughout the country and the world. It is about 10 percent of the oil for our country that…

Well, I think the Senator said it in the question in a way. It is a lot of Presidential politics. I think what I hear when I go home is--and the Senator probably hears it too--that people are frustrated with that activity. Think about…

If I can make a comment that the Senator just christened one of our new ships coming up. It has Icebreaker capacity to work for Shell to do what? Go right here.

The Senator and I have the same situation he has described: Yes, we are getting those calls and they are not just-- people say this is a union thing. No, it is union, nonunion, chamber, environmentalists, neighborhoods, community councils…

Absolutely, I say to the Senator from Delaware. In Alaska, I chaired the Metropolitan Planning Organization, the MPO, which had this money that would come from this legislation. It would come to us, and if they delayed it here or they had…