The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee yesterday held a business meeting to approve a wide array of legislative proposals. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, thanked her committee colleagues for their hard work over the past 18 months, which resulted in a broad, bipartisan energy bill, as well as their continued engagement on other committee priorities, including yesterday’s consideration of 43 bills. 

Below are a few of the measures reported out at the business meeting: 

• S. 2018, a bill to direct the Department of the Interior to unencumber SEND North’s title to a 210-acre tract of land to enable economic development in Glennallen, Alaska. Sponsored by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. 

“This bill remedies a situation that has existed since 1954, and is something we have been trying to get worked out for quite some time,” said Murkowski. “For the community of Glennallen, it will allow for an opportunity to move forward with economic activities that have been held back because of a reversionary clause that they were unable to work around.” 

• H.R. 1475, a bill to authorize the addition of a Wall of Remembrance to the existing Korean War Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Sponsored by Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Texas. 

“This legislation honors our Korean War veterans by authorizing a Wall of Remembrance to be added to the existing Korean War Veterans Memorial on the National Mall,” said Murkowski. “This wall will honor United States soldiers who died during the Korean War and will serve as an important reminder of their sacrifice.” 

• S. 2902, a bill to assist western states in addressing drought-related issues, including streamlining the federal permitting process for new water supply projects, protecting existing water rights, and completing and maintaining rural water supply infrastructure and Indian irrigation projects. Sponsored by Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz. 

“The western states have been in a prolonged drought now for several years, making it even harder to reach a resolution,” said Murkowski. “California, in particular, continues to grapple with its water issues as its congressional delegation searches for possible areas of agreement. In Arizona, Sen. Flake has been a leader on water issues, and the bill he put forward for our committee to consider reflects a tremendous amount of work to build consensus on these issues in Arizona and other western states.”

Archived video, a full list of reported bills and a rundown of yesterday’s business meeting are available on the committee’s website.