Our Energy Future

Senator Murkowski has been working for the past year on a comprehensive blueprint for advancing the nation’s energy policies. Her goals are to move the country toward greater energy independence, spur job creation, and generate revenue for debt reduction without imposing new taxes on Americans. This blueprint, to be released in January, will guide Senator Murkowski’s decisions on energy policy in the upcoming session of Congress.

Alaskans, and all Americans, are best served by promoting energy that is abundant, affordable, clean, diverse, and secure. While no one source of energy can meet all these requirements, energy policy that strives to find the proper balance of all five is key to a healthy economy and a prosperous future.

Topping Senator Murkowski’s focus is greater domestic production – of every form of energy. In America, no state has greater promise than Alaska. Between our conventional reserves of fossil fuels and our endless bounty of renewable resources, we can help move the country toward energy independence and greater economic stability. Increased production in Alaska – and elsewhere in America – will also be tremendously beneficial for our national economy.

Increasing production requires the ability to access Alaska’s resources that happen to be under federal management. Senator Murkowski continues to oppose management plans drafted by the Department of the Interior for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) and the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR) that would block responsible development.

Senator Murkowski has championed exploration of Alaska’s Arctic.  She has worked tirelessly to ensure that if oil is produced in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas, it can be economically transported to Prudhoe Bay by pipeline across the NPR-A.  If that is not the case, development will not occur and all of its benefits will be lost.

Revenue sharing is another top priority. Senator Murkowski has worked closely with Senator Mary Landrieu, D-Louisiana, to build bipartisan support for expanding revenue sharing to all coastal states, including Alaska, that have energy production off their coasts. As the top Republican on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Senator Murkowski has insisted that revenue sharing be part of any energy bill that emerges out of the committee. She has already begun discussions with the incoming chairman of the panel on details of a potential revenue sharing provision to be taken up early in the new Congress.

Beyond traditional oil and natural gas production, Senator Murkowski has been focused on expanding the development of renewable energy projects in Alaska, including increases of hydropower, geothermal and wind energy. She’s also committed to developing a thriving timber industry in Southeast by ensuring that the U.S. Forest Service holds regular sales.

Another responsibility Senator Murkowski takes seriously as her caucus’ top leader on energy is strong oversight of the rules and regulations issued by the administration. So much of Alaska’s economy is impacted by the way federal agencies interpret and carry out their activities in the state. Senator Murkowski’s mission is to ensure that the federal government’s actions do not put Alaskans – or anyone else – at an economic disadvantage.