Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a ranking member of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, recently took the Interior Department to task over project delays in Alaska. She raised several criticisms and concerns over the Interior Department’s decisions on Alaska-related resource matters, including the need for the agency to properly respond to wildland fire threats.
Sen. Murkowski’s comments and questions came during an oversight hearing to examine the President’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget request for DOI.
Additionally, Murkowski expressed appreciation for the release of the draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Willow project in the NPR-A, while promoting the need for the project to advance to final approval without further delay so the 2022/2023 winter construction season isn’t lost. She also criticized the Interior Department on its recent decision to cancel an offshore lease sale in the Cook Inlet, its refusal to implement the 1002 Area oil and gas program, the setbacks the Ambler Access Project experienced, and the policy on domestic mineral development.
Sen. Murkowski also addressed Alaska’s record-setting wildfire season, asking Interior Secretary Haaland to respond to wildland fire threats.
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