Murkowski grants federal funding wishes, Peltola's fight against active-duty military suicide, Sullivan ROARs over resources
Also, can we talk about ABC's Alaska Daily?
Good morning and Happy Friday from Washington, DC! Congress is still out of session for an extended fall recess, but the news from Alaska's Congressional Delegation has been flowing faster than pumpkin spice lattes have been at coffee shops across the country. Actually, with only 72 days until Christmas, we’ll soon be measuring legislative output in peppermint mochas and eggnog lattes.
Before we dive in, are you watching Alaska Daily, which premiered recently on ABC? This new series stars Hilary Swank as Eileen Fitzgerald, a high-profile reporter in New York City who — and you'll never believe this — moves to Alaska for a new start and to find personal and professional redemption. While that trope from Lower 48 screenwriters has been played out, I still find the show fun.
Sure, there is some cheesy dialogue, but you can't go more than a few minutes without an aerial shot featuring a Don Young earmark. I also appreciate the focus on the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls; each episode ends with a call to action. Check it out on Hulu or ABC on Thursdays if you get the chance.
Senator Murkowski's federal funding roundup
The U.S. Federal Government administers a large number of grant programs, funding everything from broadband and environmental protection to assistance for veterans, infrastructure improvements, childcare, and more. For decades, the Alaska Delegation has earned its "small but mighty" reputation by bringing home federal investments through grant programs and earmarks. The latter has recently returned on a limited basis following a decade-long ban.
This week, Senator Lisa Murkowski, who holds a seat on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, released a list of federal grants headed to Alaska. Grant programs aren't funded on their own; after Congress creates grant programs, they must then have money appropriated so federal agencies can award the grants in the first place. Senator Murkowski and her colleagues on the Appropriations Committee are responsible for ensuring a grant program's bank account has money in it.
Some notable grant funding announced by Murkowski:
Alaska – Statewide: $832,924 to the Alaska Department of Public Safety from the Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women for Services, Training, Officers, Prosecutors, Formula Grant Program.
Alaska – Statewide: $1.4 million to the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities from the Federal Railroad Administration for the Alaska Railroad Corporation Avalanche Control.
Alaska – Statewide: $746,519 to the Judiciary Courts of the State of Alaska from the Department of Justice for the Adult Drug Court Discretionary Program.
Bethel: $347,240 to the Native Village of Napaimute from the Department of Justice to improve services for victims of crime.
Fairbanks: $214.391 to the University of Alaska Fairbanks from the National Science Foundation for the development of integrative robotic systems.
Kenai: $750,000 to the Kenaitze Indian Tribe from the Department of Justice for the Adult Drug Court Discretionary Program.
Peltola picks up her predecessor's baton in the fight against military suicide
This week, Congresswoman Mary Peltola and colleagues in both the House and Senate sent a letter to Armed Services Committee leadership in both chambers, urging the retention of the Don Young Arctic Warrior Act’s provisions in the annual Department of Defense budget bill. Tragically, active-duty servicemember suicide in Alaska doubled in 2021 compared to 2020. The factors contributing to this crisis range from the high cost of living, social isolation, extreme weather, and more. Following his passing in March, Senators Murkowski and Sullivan introduced the Don Young Arctic Warrior Act, legislation that builds on the late Congressman's push to fight military suicide in Alaska. The bill's tenets include basic necessity pay, expanded behavioral healthcare, counseling, scholarships, and other retention efforts. It is these pillars of the Don Young Arctic Warrior Act that Peltola is calling on Congress to preserve in the upcoming National Defense Authorization Act.
"Don Young was committed to ensuring that Alaska's service members and their families had the support and resources necessary to do their jobs. I'm pleased to pick up the torch and continue where he left off," said Peltola. "Preserving the provisions of the Don Young Arctic Warrior Act in next year's NDAA is critical to easing many of the hardships that thousands of Alaskan service members face each year."
Congresswoman Peltola has been very vocal about pushing many of the late Congressman's priorities. Before the House gaveled out for fall recess, Peltola introduced and passed a bill designed to fight food insecurity for veterans, which was a long-time focus of Congressman Young’s.
The ROARing twenties
In November last year, Senator Dan Sullivan levied vocal criticism at the Biden Administration for tapping into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). Now, following OPEC's production cut, the Biden Administration has opened the door to tapping the SPR again. On Wednesday, U.S. Deputy Energy Secretary David Turk said that the Administration will try to use the SPR responsibility and where it makes the most sense to stabilize markets.
With the potential for SPR releases back in the news, Senator Sullivan introduced the Replenishing Our American Reserves (ROAR) Act, legislation to require that the SPR only include petroleum produced in the United States. Additionally, his ROAR Act would mandate that only domestic buyers can purchase petroleum products from the SPR.
Upon introduction, Sullivan had sharp criticism for the President.
"But President Biden has not relented in his war on American energy, and now our country's strategic oil reserve is depleted to a level we haven't seen in 35 years. We need to refill the SPR, and every drop of that oil should be produced by the hard-working men and women of the American energy sector," said Sullivan.
For his part, President Biden has been critical of OPEC's move to cut production and has pledged to consult with Congress on ways to undermine OPEC's control over energy prices. The midterm elections are 24 days away, and you can count on continued sparring between congressional Republicans, their Democratic colleagues, and the Biden Administration over the ever-salient issue of energy costs.
Fat Bear Week ends; Peltola victorious, Young vindicated, 747 full of salmon
Alaska's Katmai National Park breaks into the national media landscape every year with Fat Bear Week. This year was no different, although some fraud occurred while people from around the world were casting their votes for the bear they think will chow down on the most salmon.
"747," a brown bear identified by Katmai staff in 2004, was Fat Bear Week champion in 2020. He didn't fare as well in 2021, but he came roaring back this year to once again earn the Fat Bear Week crown.
As the knight guarding the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade once said, Congresswoman Mary Peltola "chose wisely" when she landed on 747 as her pick for Fat Bear Week.
It wasn't just a victory for 747 and Peltola; the late Congressman Don Young was vindicated following 747's loss last year. In 2021, Young made a Fat Bear Week bet against Congressman Tom O'Halleran (D-AZ) and had to surrender some Alaskan salmon to the Arizona congressman. This year, Peltola also chose 747 in a bet against Congresswoman Haley Stevens (D-MI), who now owes her Detroit-style pizza.
What I’m reading
Forbes: Opinion: The Arctic Climate Double Standard Which Lets Russia And China To Exploit Oil & LGN
News Nation: Alaska Dem Mary Peltola: No family’s untouched by drug abuse
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Two senators call for state probe into gas prices