WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today secured the passage of three of her sponsored bills from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.  The bills, which promote water-related energy projects and transfer a small parcel of federal land to the city of Anchorage, all passed with wide bipartisan support. 

“I think it’s a positive sign of things to come that we continue to advance good policy from the energy committee,” Murkowski said. “The bills we passed out of committee today is constructive energy policy – good for the country and good for Alaska – and I hope our actions today will help set the tone for the next Congress.” 

Murkowski’s three bills passed by voice vote on Tuesday were:

• S. 182, the Anchorage Reversionary Clause – Allows the municipality of Anchorage, Alaska, to pay fair market value to gain the ability to sell 2.7 acres of land to private developers, ultimately generating tax revenue for the municipality;

• S. 1419, the Marine and Hydrokinetic Renewable Energy Act – Reauthorizes the Department of Energy’s marine hydrokinetic research program, which aids the development of ocean energy technology that involves tapping current, waves, tidal and water thermal energy to make electricity; and

• S. 1971, the Nexus of Energy and Water for Sustainability (NEWS) Act – Establishes a committee within the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy to coordinate and streamline federal energy-water activities.

Sen. Murkowski’s bills were among 16 approved today by the energy committee.

The Anchorage Reversionary Clause will promote economic development in the downtown area of Alaska’s largest city. The Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy Act, meanwhile, has the potential to greatly reduce energy costs for the more than 80 towns and villages in Alaska that lie along rivers or coastal areas that would benefit from advances in marine electricity technology. Murkowski said the NEWS Act, which does not initiate any new regulations, aims to facilitate development of innovative technologies to ensure that the energy-water nexus is understood and continuously optimized to sustain quality of life and promote economic growth.

The bills now head to the floor for consideration by the full Senate. Archived video of today’s business meeting is available on the energy panel’s website. 

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