U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski was in Kodiak for the Alaska Municipal League’s Summer Legislative Conference on Aug. 14. She was on the island for just a few hours, and her speech focused largely on infrastructure and transportation.
“We’re one state with multiple transportation systems, so thank you for helping us get the word out on what more we need to be doing,” the senator told the crowd.
Murkowski mentioned using federal funds for the state’s ferry system, like replacing the aging Tustumena as well as improving other critical infrastructure water systems.
She also talked about the new ice breaker being homeported in Juneau, and acknowledged other statewide concerns like the housing shortage and funds for the St. Herman Harbor replacement project.
One of the looming issues she talked about was the fisheries crisis communities are facing as Russia continues flooding seafood markets.
In an interview with reporters, Murkowski said she has [WEB: and Sen. Dan Sullivan] been pushing international allies to ban Russian-origin seafood the same way the U.S. has to benefit Alaska’s seafood industry.
“The Japanese have been great partners with us over the years with seafood and our markets, but they too are purchasing far more Russian products than they have historically,” Murkowski said.
She says they’ve been working with the European Union and G7 countries as well. Japan, the European Union, and the United States are three of the largest seafood markets in the world.
One of the other large projects Alaska’s congressional delegation has been working on is getting seafood incorporated into the federal Farm Bill renewal. Getting fisheries included could help fishermen access new federal subsidies that are only currently available to farmers and ranchers.
Murkowski says she’s not sure if it will work out though.
“I wish that I could say ‘Don’t worry – we’re going to get the farm bill through,’ but right now we’re at kind of a stalemate,” she said.
She Sen. Sullivan even brought Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas to Kodiak last year to show him how similar farming and fisheries can be. He’s the ranking member of the Senate’s Agriculture Nutrition, and Forestry Committee.
She says it’s more likely the current farm bill will be extended, but she’s not giving up hope yet.
“Crazy things happen the closer you get to the end of a legislative session,” Murkowski said.
The Senate reconvenes in early September and is scheduled to adjourn near the end of December.
