Press Releases
Delegation Denounces Executive Order to Stop Oil and Gas Leasing on Federal Lands
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and U.S. Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, issued the following statements after President Joe Biden signed an Executive Order directing the Secretary of the Interior to not issue any new oil or natural gas leases on public lands and offshore waters, as well as requiring the Department to evaluate all existing leasing and permitting practices. In Fiscal Year 2019, the oil and gas industry supported $3.1 billion in state and local… Continue Reading
01.23.21
Sullivan Blasts Biden Orders Targeting Blue Collar Jobs and Energy Sector
WASHINGTON, D.C.-U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) rebuked President Joe Biden on the floor of the Senate yesterday after the new administration issued a series of orders and regulatory reviews targeting Alaska and other resource development states, the energy sector, and thousands of blue collar American jobs. The actions taken by the Biden administration this week include issuing a temporary moratorium on oil and gas leasing in the non-wilderness Coastal Plain (1002 Area) of the Arctic Nati… Continue Reading
01.22.21
Sullivan, Senate Vote to Confirm Lloyd Austin as Defense Secretary
WASHINGTON, D.C.-U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, voted today with 92 of his Senate colleagues to confirm Lloyd Austin as the secretary of defense. Austin is a retired four-star Army general. Yesterday, Sullivan voted to waive a National Security Act of 1947 requirement that would have mandated Austin wait seven years following the conclusion of his military service before being eligible to serve as defense secretary. Sullivan and Austin ser… Continue Reading
01.22.21
Alaska Delegation Welcomes $40 Million DOT Grant to the Native Village of Eyak for the Construction of an Oil Spill Response Facility
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan, Lisa Murkowski, and Congressman Don Young (all R-Alaska) welcomed a $40,199,275 grant awarded to the Native Village of Eyak from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). This funding, made available under the Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects Program, will be used for the construction of a dock and small port that will serve as the proposed Shepard Point Marine Tribal Transportation (MTT) & Oil Spill Response (O… Continue Reading
01.20.21
Delegation Rebukes Biden Administration Effort to Block Development in ANWR
WASHINGTON, D.C.--U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and U.S. Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, issued the following statement after President Joe Biden announced a temporary moratorium on oil and gas leasing in the non-wilderness Coastal Plain (1002 Area) of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). "Today, President Biden announced that he will pick up where the Obama administration left off by conducting a review of multiple rulemakings that are critical to Alaska and by placin… Continue Reading
01.20.21
Delegation Applauds Issuance of Leases for Coastal Plain Oil & Gas Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and U.S. Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, issued the following statements after the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced the signing and issuing of leases on nine of the tracts that received qualifying bids from the first lease sale for lands in the non-wilderness Coastal Plain (1002 Area) of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Results of the January 6 lease sale are available on BLM's website. "The Alaska Delegatio… Continue Reading
01.19.21
Sullivan Introduces Defense Secretary Nominee Lloyd Austin
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), today was one of two speakers to introduce Lloyd Austin, a retired four-star Army general, at his confirmation hearing to serve as the next secretary of defense in the incoming Biden administration. The other speaker introducing Austin was Leon Panetta, who previously served as defense secretary and director of the Central Intelligence Agency. In his introductory remarks, Sullivan u… Continue Reading
01.12.21
U.S. Supreme Court Grants Review in Alaska Native Corporations CARES Act Cases
The U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari to petitions from Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and several Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs) challenging the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals' decision that determined ANCs are not eligible for the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) tribal set-aside within Title V of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act. The motion from the Alaska Delegation to participate was also granted. In November, 2019, U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Da… Continue Reading
01.11.21
Alaska Delegation Commends U.S. Navy for New Arctic Strategy
WASHINGTON, D.C.-U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski, and Congressman Don Young (all R-Alaska) commended the U.S. Navy for releasing "A Blue Arctic" last week, the service's strategy document for the Arctic region. The Department of the Navy's document builds upon the Department of Defense's (DOD) Arctic strategy, released in June of 2019, and compliments the Air Force's Arctic strategy, released in July of 2020. "We live in an era of renewed great power competition, when a growing … Continue Reading
01.07.21
Sullivan Votes to Count the Electoral College Vote
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) released the following statement after the conclusion of Congress' joint session to count the Electoral College vote from the 2020 presidential election as mandated by the U.S. Constitution. "The violence that occurred in the Capitol building during the counting of the Electoral College vote was sad and dispiriting. There is no excuse for political violence. Those who chose violence in order to disrupt our constitutional duties, however, d… Continue Reading
01.05.21
Sullivan, Markey, Murkowski Welcome Signing of Young Fishermen’s Development Act
WASHINGTON, D.C.-U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today welcomed the signing of the Young Fishermen's Development Act, legislation to mitigate the challenges facing the next generation of entrants into the fishing industry by supporting regional training opportunities and apprenticeship programs. Congressmen Don Young (R-Alaska) and Jared Golden (D-Maine) were the lead sponsors of the legislation in the House. "Just like the proud… Continue Reading
01.04.21
Delegation Welcomes New NPR-A Integrated Activity Plan
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, today issued the following statements after the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced the release of an updated Integrated Activity Plan (IAP) for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A). "This is more good news for Alaskans as we chart a path to economic recovery and long-term prosperity for our state. This robust plan recognizes the purposes of the NPR-A and will restore reasonable … Continue Reading
01.03.21
Sullivan Sworn in for Second Term in U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) was sworn in to the 117th Congress today by Vice President Mike Pence in a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol. Sullivan was joined by his wife, Julie, and their three daughters. "One of the greatest honors of my life has been the opportunity to serve my fellow Alaskans in the U.S. Senate, and I thank the people of Alaska for their confidence and support in sending me to represent them in Washington for a second term," said Senator Sullivan. "As… Continue Reading
01.01.21
Sullivan Votes for Final Passage of National Defense Authorization Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, released the following statement after voting with 80 of his Senate colleagues to override President Donald Trump's veto of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021. "The FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act is significant for three important reasons," said Senator Sullivan. "First, this bill continues the build-… Continue Reading
12.23.20
Sullivan-Schatz-Cantwell Bill to Strengthen, Improve NOAA Corps Signed into Law
WASHINGTON, D.C.-U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) today welcomed the signing of S. 2981, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Commissioned Officer Corps Amendments Act of 2020, their bill to improve and modernize the management of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps. "The mission and work of NOAA and the NOAA Corps are incredibly important to Alaska, the state with our nation's largest fishery, more coastline than … Continue Reading
12.21.20
Sullivan Votes for COVID-19 Relief, Government Funding Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C.-U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) voted with 91 of his Senate colleagues on Monday for a COVID-19 relief package and an omnibus appropriations bill that funds the government through September 30, 2021. This critical piece of legislation-along with the recently passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which included the Coast Guard Authorization Act for the first time ever-makes great strides in supporting America's front-line health care workers and the fight against… Continue Reading
12.21.20
Six Sullivan Veterans Bills Headed to President’s Desk, Including K2 Toxic Exposure Study
WASHINGTON, D.C.-U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee (SVAC), thanked his colleagues for recently passing the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act, a large package of veterans legislation featuring six bills championed by Sullivan, including S. 4384, the K2 Veterans Advocacy Act of 2020. The bill, introduced with Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (… Continue Reading
12.19.20
Sullivan Honors Linda Behnken as “Alaskan of the Week”
WASHINGTON, D.C.-On the floor of the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) recognized Linda Behnken, of Sitka, the executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association. Linda was recently honored with the prestigious Heinz Award for the Environment for her work championing sustainable fisheries and helping to preserve Alaska's coastal ecosystems. Senator Sullivan recognized Behnken as part of his series, "Alaskan of the Week." TRIBUTE TO LINDA BEHNKEN Mr.… Continue Reading
12.18.20
Bipartisan Save Our Seas 2.0 Act Signed into Law
WASHINGTON, D.C.-U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), and Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) and Don Young (R-Alaska), today welcomed the signing of the Save Our Seas (SOS) 2.0 Act, the most comprehensive legislation ever passed by Congress to address the plastic debris crisis threatening coastal ecosystems and communities, and harming marine life. "After two years of collaboration, hard work and advocacy, I am incredibly excited… Continue Reading
12.16.20
Sullivan, Coons, Graham and Whitehouse introduce bipartisan UNITE for our Oceans Act
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Today, U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) introduced legislation that would bring the international community together to address the increasing amount of plastic and trash polluting the oceans and marine environments. The Unify Nations in Trash Elimination (UNITE) for our Oceans Actwould direct the U.S. government to work with international partners to finance promising projects that promote the … Continue Reading