U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today thanked her committee colleagues for their hard work and support of the broad, bipartisan energy legislation that she compiled with Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the panel’s ranking member.

The committee approved 15 measures over the three-day markup. In addition to the broad energy bill, the committee also reported out Murkowski’s legislation to expand revenue sharing for coastal energy producing states and lift the outdated ban on domestic crude oil exports.

Sens. Lisa Murkowski and John Barrasso at Thursday’s business meeting.
Click here to view video of today’s business meeting

“Our committee today took bold steps to update and modernize our nation’s energy policies. Our broad energy bill drew overwhelming bipartisan support, and a majority of our committee supported my legislation to expand revenue sharing, increase offshore development, and lift the oil export ban,” Murkowski said. “I’m very proud of what we accomplished today, and just as proud of how we accomplished it.”

The Murkowski-Cantwell energy bill was approved by a vote of 18-4, with 10 Republicans and eight Democrats in support of reporting it for consideration by the full Senate. The bill contains provisions that would improve electric reliability and energy efficiency; promote the development of hydropower, geothermal, and methane hydrates; enhance cybersecurity efforts; bolster mineral security; reform the federal permitting process; and repeals a range of obsolete authorities currently within the U.S. Code. The measure also reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund, while ensuring balance in the use of our nation’s federal lands.

Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Maria Cantwell speaking to reporters on Thursday afternoon.

In addition to approving the bipartisan Energy Policy Modernization Act, the committee also voted to advance Murkowski’s Offshore Production and Energizing National Security (OPENS) Act. The legislation would ensure that America’s energy renaissance continues by opening additional areas of America’s offshore to responsible oil and gas exploration; allowing our nation’s crude oil to be exported; and ensuring coastal states share in the revenues from offshore production to offset the impacts of development.

The committee’s business meeting agenda is available on our website.