UPDATED: Sen. Murkowski to Hold Field Hearing in Bethel on Alaska's Leadership, Opportunities in Energy Innovation

Statement

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, will host a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee field hearing on Monday, February 15, 2016 in Bethel, Alaska. The hearing will examine opportunities for energy innovation and technology deployment in high-cost areas in Alaska and around the country. Murkowski will use this hearing to highlight the innovative work being done in remote communities in Alaska -- and to examine challenges that remain to ensure that rural Alaskans have access to affordable and renewable energy.

"The high cost of rural energy is one of the greatest challenges facing Alaska, and many of our communities have made great progress in reducing costs by integrating wind, solar, and geothermal into their microgrids," Murkowski said. "This hearing will give the rest of the country and the world the opportunity to learn from Alaska's successes and identify opportunities to promote further advances in energy innovation in our state."

Murkowski, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, emphasized the committee's efforts to promote energy innovation through legislation such as the Energy Policy Modernization Act -- the broad, bipartisan energy bill the committee approved last July.

Murkowski will be joined in Alaska and at the field hearing by Sens. Barrasso, R-Wyo., Cantwell, D-Wash., Capito, R-W.Va., Daines, R-Mont., and King, I-Maine.

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