Murkowski’s Break From Begich Pays Off, for Now
The picture of Sen. Lisa Murkowski holding a chair above her head was symbolic of triumph, opportunity and maybe a deal. A call from Sen. Mitch McConnell told her she would be chair of the Senate Committee on Energy starting next year, truly a powerful position, probably beyond the normal reach available to her level of seniority. For at least two years, she controls the gateway to the White House for all legislation on oil and gas, overwhelmingly the critical financial resource for Alaska and many other states.
Her secondary if more immediate goal will be to undercut the environmental and bureaucratic restraints that have slowed down development and kept Alaska’s oil companies from drilling in reserves. The speeding up of development in NPR-A offers a more immediate source of development including revenue sharing with the state.
The prime goal, previously embraced by all three of Alaska’s representatives, is to change the law on offshore revenue sharing. Alaska was not yet a state when Congress passed legislation that gave the royalty share in offshore development to our Gulf states only. Alaska got left out. Senator Murkowski is now in the lead position to press the case that Alaska and other non-Gulf states should either get 27.5 percent or 37.5 percent in offshore royalties.