Below are excerpts from Murkowski’s floor speech:
“This package is the result of multiple
years of regular order process in the committees of jurisdiction, most
notably the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. It is the result of
months of intense bicameral negotiations with now-Chairman Raul Grijalva
and now-Ranking Member Rob Bishop of the House Natural Resources
Committee.
“It’s important that this bill – this
package – become law in the near future. It provides new opportunities
for economic development through land conveyances and exchanges. It
expands and enhances access for our sportsmen and women on federal lands
for hunting, fishing, and other outdoor recreation activities. And it
features provisions related to western water management, National Park
units, and other federal lands administered by the Bureau of Land
Management and the Forest Service.
“This is also a good package for Alaska.
It upholds our promises to Alaska Natives who served during the Vietnam
War, but who never received the land allotments promised to them by the
federal government. It provides routing flexibility for our proposed
natural gas pipeline. And it creates new economic opportunities for
communities like Kake and Utqiagvik.
“We have an excellent package in front of
us. It’s time for us to pass it. It’s time to show our strong support,
send it on to the House of Representatives, and then to the president’s
desk.”
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