Murkowski readies for reins of Senate Energy

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is gearing up to take control of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee as the balance of power shifts to Republicans next year. A Senate Energy committee under Murkowski may not seem a drastic change from one under Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) on its face, as both lawmakers support fossil fuels and expanded drilling, but Murkowski will have an easier time rallying her Republican colleagues behind her than Landrieu did liberal Democrats. Dillon said Murkowski will run the committee under the rules of regular order, as Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has pledged on the floor if he is voted majority leader. “That will be a big improvement over the way the floor operates now,” Dillion said. With Murkowski at the helm, Dillion stressed, the committee and entire upper chamber could push through bills that “never saw the light of day under Democratic leadership.” “The current gridlock on the Senate floor means there are going to be bills left over from this Congress that could get bipartisan support if they were processed under regular order,” Dillion said. “Those bills are candidates for early consideration.” Dillion didn’t specify which legislation Murkowski would like to work on first, but Keystone XL, natural gas exports and expanding offshore and onshore drilling will likely be priorities for her and Republicans. Murkowski is also expected to use her new position as head of the committee to advance the conversation on lifting a decades-old ban on crude oil exports. Finally, Murkowski's new power will allow her to fight for a proposed Alaskan road through a federal wildlife refuge. The ongoing battle over the road with Interior Secretary Sally Jewell has intensified in the last year. “The committee under Democratic leadership has shown a reluctance for conducting oversight of this administration — that is something Sen. Murkowski believes needs to change,” Dillon said. Also notable is the second gavel Murkowski will wield on the Appropriation's subcommittee that controls Interior's budget. Using her second gavel, Murkowski can push bills that tighten finances for Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies critical to the president's climate agenda. There is also a strong possibility McConnell will tether anti-EPA riders to bills flowing through the subcommittee...more

No mention of amending the Endangered Species Act?  315 million acres (and still counting) of private and federal lands designated as Critical Habitat and its not even on their list?  Nothing mentioned about amending the Antiquities Act?  13 monuments that include 260 million acres of land and water designated by Obama with the stroke of his pen and that's not high on their list? Oil drilling, a pipeline and a road is all we can look forward to?  Then there's those "bipartisan" bills that are "candidates for early consideration" which could very well mean more Wilderness.  So far, not so good.