Expressing the Sense of the Senate That It is the Policy of the United States to Commemorate the Armenian Genocide

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I thank my colleague, the ranking member on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. He is really a friend on not only energy matters but on so many of the other initiatives we have worked on.

As he mentioned, every now and again, our two States might see things differently, but we have come to understand where we come from, what we bring to the table, and figure out how we can work together collaboratively and then set that collaborative tone for the full committee as a whole. I appreciate the opportunity to highlight a few of the accomplishments we as a committee have achieved over this past year.

We had a holiday lunch at the first of this week with both of our staffs assembled--had some good food--and I was able to share with all of the staffs that I felt like we were the committee that was kind of like ``The Little Engine that Could''--the children's storybook wherein the tiny little engine is kind of plugging along. We are not typically the headline-grabbing committee in this Senate, but just like the little engine, we kind of put our heads down and get to work, and we achieve a lot.

In our case, even in a divided time, we are seeing good, strong bipartisan legislation that is helping just about every Member of our Senate in all areas of the country.

Think about where we started off this year. You will recall that it was unfortunately in the midst of a government shutdown. But what we were able to do even at that time was to move through a significant victory, and that was the passage of our sweeping lands package containing more than 120 individual measures that reflected the priorities of dozens of Members in the Senate and the House. We passed that out of the Senate 92 to 8, the House passed it out 363 to 62, and the President signed it shortly thereafter. It was sweeping. We recognized that it provided for economic development for so many small communities, protected treasured landscapes, addressed a range of sportsmen's priorities, and permanently reauthorized the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

It took a long time. There were many initiatives we had been working through for a considerable period of time. But our ability to be able to pass it shortly after this government shutdown underscored that even at a time when we are known for our divisions, we can still achieve bipartisan success.

The committee really took the momentum, and we ran with it--as Senator Manchin has pointed out, some 51 bills, 52 bills here. Today, we just moved 19 bills out of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee markup. We have moved out measures that are focused on energy efficiency, renewables, energy storage, advanced nuclear energy, carbon capture, utilization, and storage. We focused on mineral security, cyber security, and a range of additional technologies that really work to ensure that energy becomes more affordable as it becomes cleaner.

We have been working very hard on the public lands side of our jurisdiction as well. One bill you are sure to hear more about in the first of the year is the Restore Our Parks Act, which will address the multibillion-dollar deferred maintenance backlog at our national parks--the crown jewels of our Nation. That bill provides $6.5 billion over the next 5 years to fix dilapidated trails, buildings, roads, bridges, monuments, and historic markers.

Working on the parks and the land side, we reported 13 nominees for key leadership positions at the Department of Energy, Department of the Interior, and the FERC. Nearly all of them were confirmed, ensuring the President has a good team to carry out our Nation's energy and resource policies.

We have also held hearings--about two a week while we have been in session--to highlight the opportunities and the challenges we face within our jurisdiction. These range from everything from the need for new and innovative technologies--as Senator Manchin pointed out--to the future of our Strategic Petroleum Reserve. As he mentioned, we have held hearings--many hearings now--on climate change, making that a priority among priorities.

I think it is fair to say we have been very productive as a committee. We know the work isn't done. It is one thing to report the measures out of committee; it is another thing to get them enacted into law. Our eyes are directed right now on these next steps.

Early next year, we hope to bring much of the work we have processed through the committee, bring it to the Senate floor. We are counting on our colleagues to join us and to help move these bills to the House and to the President for his signature. Whether you are interested in energy innovation, resource security, or access to public lands, this work should appeal to just about every Member and provide a great opportunity to advance the security, prosperity, and competitiveness of our Nation.

I want to share the deep appreciation I have for my ranking member, Senator Manchin, and his partnership. We have navigated some complicated stretches, but we have done so by working together to ensure a good outcome for the committee, for the Senate, and for the American people. I think you have seen some of that. Tribute to Johnny Isakson

Mr. President, we saw some of the good work reflected of a gentleman we have lauded on the floor now throughout this week and will continue to laud because he is a most laudable and wonderful human being, and that is our friend, the Senator from Georgia, Mr. Isakson, who will soon be stepping down after a very good and honorable career in the U.S. Senate and before that.

It was a pleasure to know we were able to move out of the Energy Committee this morning. One of the priorities he has been working on is the Preserving America's Battlefields Act. He is a great historian and has put a great deal of himself into advancing that important legislation.

Another markup I was part of this morning was in Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, where we moved out two significant bills that had Johnny Isakson's fingerprints all over it. His care, his compassion for the most vulnerable children who have been abused--he has been a leader in the CAPTA legislation that moved out of that committee by voice vote this morning.

He was also instrumental in another measure that moved through the committee, the Adoption Opportunities Act. It gives you a glimpse of the range and the breadth of this extraordinary legislator, whether it is his great effort working for our veterans and his leadership on the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, his leadership on those matters that he cares so personally and passionately about in the HELP Committee, or what we see in the other committees as we have seen in Energy with his focus on America's history.

Johnny Isakson is not only a great legislator, a laudable man, but he is also a true friend. He is one who has reminded us all that relationships matter; that how we speak to one another matters; that how we treat one another as human beings and friends matters.

I know that as we say our goodbyes to Senator Isakson from this Chamber, we will long remember not only the contributions he has provided from a legislative perspective and a policy perspective but as a person and as a lovely and decent human being.

With that, I yield floor.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source