Republican News

Senate Passes Legislation Naming Mountain and Ice Field in Honor of Stevens

September 28, 2010
01:04 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                     CONTACT: ROBERT DILLON (202) 224-6977
SEPTEMBER 28, 2010                                                   MEGAN HERMANN (202) 224-7875
 
Senate Passes Legislation Naming Mountain and Ice Field in Honor of Stevens
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today welcomed the passage of legislation honoring the late Sen. Ted Stevens by naming a mountain and part of an ice field after him.
 
“Sen. Ted Stevens was a true Alaskan and a great champion of the state,” Murkowski said. “This is a fitting tribute for a man who was both a mentor and a personal friend to me, and to whom all Alaskans owe so much.”
 
Stevens Peak – commonly known as South Hunter Peak – is located in Denali National Park and Preserve, just south of Mount McKinley, and is visible from the Parks Highway. At 13,895 feet, the mountain is the tallest unnamed peak in Alaska.
 
The Ted Stevens Ice Field encompasses the northern and eastern half of the Chugach Mountains, which is the foundation for the Harvard, Matanuska, Columbia and numerous other Southcentral glaciers.
 
The legislation requires the U.S. Geological Place Names Board to christen the peak and ice field within 30 days of passage.
 
The legislation (S. 3802) now goes to the House of Representatives where Rep. Don Young, R-AK, has introduced a companion bill and is working to win final passage and deliver it to the President’s desk for signing.
 
“I am working with my colleagues on the Resources Committee, and House leadership to fast track this bill to the floor before the House recesses,” Young said. “Ted was a very dear friend of mine and an Alaskan hero, and he deserves to be honored in this way.”
 
Stevens, who died in a plane crash near Dillingham on Aug. 9, will be officially laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery today. He was appointed to the Senate in 1968, where he served for more than 40 years.
 
“Stevens played a significant role in the transformation of Alaska from an impoverished territory to a full-fledged state,” Murkowski said. “While there are a number of facilities named after Stevens, this bill will guarantee that future generations of Alaskans will remember him.”
 
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For further information, please contact Robert Dillon at 202.224.6977 or robert_dillon@energy.senate.gov or Megan Hermann at 202.224.7875 or megan_hermann@energy.senate.gov.