Senate hearing examines Interior Department’s $11.7 billion budget request for Fiscal Year 2019

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, (R-AK), chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, led a hearing Tuesday to examine the U.S. Department of the Interior’s (DoI) $11.7 billion budget request for Fiscal Year 2019.

Murkowski said that, although she does not agree with every proposal in the budget requests, she views it as an improvement over previous requests from other administrations. She expressed appreciation of the DoI’s approach to natural resource production and its focus on mineral security and the deferred maintenance backlog for public lands, especially in national parks.

She expressed support for the department’s five-year plan for the National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program, which proposes making more than 90 percent of the total OCS acreage and approximately 98 percent of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources in federal offshore areas available for consideration for future exploration and development.

“I support the department’s new five-year plan for offshore leasing that provides greater access—even while protecting the areas where development may not be ripe at this time,” Murkowski said. “We also need to continue to address our nation’s mineral security, through both continued administrative actions and complementary legislation. Within this request, I support the funding proposed for modern geologic mapping, which will contribute greatly to this effort.”

Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke participated in the hearing, and Murkowski asked him about the administration’s priorities and focus on Arctic activity.

“I would think three things. One, the Arctic is of national security interest. It is imperative. Secondly, energy dominance is not possible unless Alaska’s resources come to bear,” Zinke said. “Thirdly, the Alaska Natives — I think we need to do better at being partners, particularly with our wildlife management… I think the relationship between the Interior and this committee on Alaska, will only grow.”