Contributed by Mike Anderson
U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) today applauded the Senate's passage of the Energy Policy Modernization Act, the first major energy policy legislation in nearly a decade. The bill was sponsored by Alaska’s Senator Lisa Murkowski, chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
"In February, the energy bill hit up against seemingly insurmountable gridlock. But Senator Murkowski did not give up,” said Senator Sullivan. "She did the hard work, meeting with stakeholders and convincing our colleagues about the enormous benefits at stake – increasing U.S. energy supplies and job opportunities, enhancing our nation's energy security, and improving energy efficiency. Today, Senator Murkowski’s thousands of hours of work have come to fruition, and our nation and Alaska are much better for it."
“Because of Chairman Murkowski’s advocacy, Alaska will see new financing tools for energy projects, the reauthorization of home weatherization and home energy efficiency programs, support for the development of critical minerals, and an expedited permitting process for any liquefied natural gas export project,” Senator Sullivan added.
Included in S. 2012, was an amendment offered by Senator Sullivan to correct a surveying error relevant to the Swan Lake Hydroelectric Project, located near Ketchikan, Alaska. This amendment would direct the Secretary of the Interior to resurvey the land near the Swan Lake Dam and correct the error within 18 months so that the license holder can increase the storage capacity of the dam.
Senator Sullivan also co-sponsored an amendment with Senator Murkowski related to the Alaska gas line, which would broaden the right-of-way adopted in the Denali National Park Improvement Act and provide more routing flexibility for the project during the approval process.