Alaska Subsistence Discussed on Capitol Hill -- Murkowski Morning Meeting, 9/19/2013

Thursday, September 19, 2013

What DC’s Reading 

• USA Today: IRS list reveals concerns over Tea Party 'propaganda'
• Daily Beast: NSA Opinion More Political than Legal

U.S. Senate Events

Alaskan Subsistence Today & In the Future

Alaskan Impact: This morning, Senator Murkowski made history in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee by holding the first hearing on subsistence issues in nearly 20 years on Capitol Hill.  Senator Murkowski and Alaskans from across the state opened up this critical dialogue on fish and wildlife management, allocation, and the partnership between Native groups, the State of Alaska and the federal government moving forward.  Today’s hearing was the culmination of public meetings Senator Murkowski held on subsistence in Bethel and Glennallen, and a Kuskokwim River fish camp trip she took this past summer.

5:30am AKDT

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Hearing

Topic: “Wildlife management authority within the state of Alaska under the Alaska National Interest Lands Act and the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.”

Testimony from:

• Gene Peltola, Office of Subsistence Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Region, Department of the Interior
• Beth Pendleton, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Craig Fleener, Deputy Commissioner, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
• Ana Hoffman, President/CEO, Bethel Native Corporation
• Robert T. Anderson, University of Washington School of Law
• Dr. Rosita Worl, President, Sealaska Corporation
• Jerry Isaac. President, Tanana Chiefs Conference

The entire hearing can be watched online at energy.senate.gov

A Post Office for the Future

Alaskan Impact: A critical connection in Alaska due to our state’s unique infrastructure challenges, Senator Murkowski believes the Postal Service needs to evolve to survive while still maintaining vital services for rural Alaskans and Americans who depend on it.  Senator Murkowski knows the importance of the Postal Service in Alaska, especially when it comes to bypass mail, and has seized opportunities to stress that importance to the Postmaster General.  Today, a Senate committee discussed ways to modernize the USPS.

6:00am AKDT

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Hearing

Topic: "Outside the Box: Reforming and Renewing the Postal Service”

Testimony from:

• Patrick Donahoe, Postmaster General and CEO of the U.S. Postal Service
• David Williams, Inspector General of the U.S. Postal Service
• Cliff Guffey, President of the American Postal Workers Union
• Jeanette Dwyer, President of the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association

Watch the entire meeting online: www.hsgac.senate.gov

U.S. House Events 

Keystone: Five Years of Red Tape

Today marks the 5^th anniversary of the application for approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline.  Senator Murkowski has called Keystone an important part of a comprehensive energy plan that includes both traditional and renewable energy sources to boost our nation’s energy independence – not to mention a source of thousands of jobs to help the national economy. The House today discussed a path forward for the pipeline and today House members dig deeper into the 5 year process.

6:15am AKDT

House Energy and Commerce Committee Hearing

Topic: "Keystone's Red Tape Anniversary: Five Years of Bureaucratic Delay and Economic Benefits Denied."

Testimony from:

• David Delie, President of Welspun Tubular LLC
• Karen Harbert, U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for 21st Century Energy
• Dennis Houston, President and CEO of the Norfolk Area Chamber of Commerce

Watch the entire meeting online: energycommerce.house.gov