On Thursday, February 15th, Senator Lisa Murkowski spoke before the Legislature to share her concerns about Alaska’s recent struggles regarding the state of our fisheries.
The Senator says that the “absence of abundance” is threatening subsistence, commercial, and recreational fishing alike. Also, other outside groups are attempting to shut down entire fisheries and list the king salmon as endangered. One of the big culprits to this situation is climate change, and it’s harming Alaskan’s food security and economic security as well.
“I worry about King Cove, False Pass, Kodiak, and all the coastal communities that depend on fish, fish processing, and the fish tax. Just as I worry about those who are not able to fill their freezers with fish from the river. All of this comes at the front end of a divisive presidential election year, with two deeply flawed candidates set to lead their party tickets. A time when Congress is more inclined to kick the can than solve our nation’s problems,” said Murkowski.
She mentions how 12 appropriations bills were supported last July with strong bipartisan support, but only three of them have been brought up on the Senate floor since then. Since the FY 2024 budget ends in just a few days, Murkowski says that her and her fellow members in legislation really have their “work cut out for them.”
“The latest example of kick the can is border security—which Republicans rightly demanded be part of the national security supplemental, and then refused to bring to the floor for debate when presented with our best shot at reform in decades. We could have improved our failing border policies, but instead, we locked them in for the rest of the year and potentially well beyond. So to keep my head above water during this unproductive Congress, I’m focusing on legislative solutions for Alaska—and looking for every window of opportunity. One is my Improving ARCTIC Act, which will help strengthen Alaska’s food security, seafood industry, and more. It will improve my Micro-Grants for Food Security Program, which has helped hundreds of Alaskans grow more food; boost food banks in rural communities; increase local food processing capacity; establish a Denali Housing Fund to build and rehabilitate housing; and more,” said Murkowski.
Something that the Senator is excited to bring to the floor is her Working Waterfronts legislation.
“Another is my Working Waterfronts legislation, which offers a range of new opportunities and tools—from a tax credit for marine energy, to loan guarantees for commercial fishermen and fish processors—to help our coastal communities. We need to make all of our communities safer, healthier, and more resilient.”
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