Murkowski Morning Meeting For Tuesday, July 29, 2014

What DC is Reading

• Wall Street Journal: Putting America’s Energy Leverage to Use [Paywall]
• Politico: The Flip-Flopping Architect of the Health Care Bill
• Washington Post: Secretary of State Kerry’s Middle East Blunder

U.S. Senate Events

Cigarettes, E-Cigarettes and Youth

Alaskan Impact: E-cigarettes “fly under the radar in Alaska” because their surge in the marketplace has grown before rules and regulations can catch up. This leads to some serious blind spots in terms of scrutinizing the health risks they pose – particularly on our youth. Senator Murkowski has been tracking this issue closely, and even raised it to the HHS Director’s attention in May. Today the Senate Finance Committee took a look at cigarettes from the tax side of things, asking whether e-cigarettes are taxed like cigarettes.

6:00a.m. AKDT

Senate Finance Committee Hearing

Topic: “Tobacco: Taxes Owed, Avoided, and Evaded.”

Witnesses:

• John J. Manfreda, Administrator, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
• Dr. David B. Gootnick, Director, International Affairs and Trade, Government Accountability Office
• Ronald J. Bernstein, President & CEO, Liggett Vector Brands LLC

(Click to review excerpt)
ATF Administrator: E-cigarettes avoid being subject to the cigarette tax.
Watch the hearing by clicking here.

Energy Access on Federal Lands

Alaskan Impact: Sixty percent of Alaska’s lands are federally managed, and as many Alaskans know: before you get to advance on an energy project, a permit must be cleared. Later today, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will consider two bills to improve the permitting process on Bureau of Land Management land. Senator Murkowski plans to question BLM Director Neil Kornze about the Obama administration’s inaction on oil and gas development in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and on the Interior Department’s continued refusal to respond to the people of King Cove.

10:30a.m. AKDT

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Hearing

Topic: “Breaking the Logjam at BLM: Examining Ways to More Efficiently Process Permits for Energy Production on Federal Lands.”

Witnesses:

• Neil Kornze, Director, Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior
• Scott Kidwell, Director of Government Affairs, Concho Resources, Inc.
• Kathleen Sgamma, VP of Government & Public Affairs, Western Energy Alliance
• Mark Christensen, Chairman, Campbell County Board of Commissioners
• Lorinda Wichman, Commissioner, Nye County Commission; President-Elect, Nevada Association of Counties
• Arthur Haubenstock, Solar Energy Industries Association
• Mr. Scott Nichols, Permitting and Lands Manager, U.S. Geothermal, Inc.

Watch the hearing by clicking here.

U.S. House Events

Alaskan Impact: Living in one of the most seismically active areas of the world, Alaskans understand that earthquakes are a part of everyday life. Scientists have recognized that Alaska’s geological location guarantees that major damaging earthquakes will continue to occur. The House Science, Space, and Technology’s hearing on earthquake preparedness discussed ways to lessen the impacts of these potentially deadly natural disasters.

6:00a.m. AKDT

House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Subcommittee on Research and Technology Hearing

Topic: “A Review of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program.”

Witnesses:

• Dr. John R. Hayes, Jr., Director, National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, National Institute of Standards and Technology
• Dr. Pramod P. Khargonekar, Assistant Director, Directorate of Engineering, National Science Foundation
• Dr. David Applegate, Associate Director for Natural Hazards, U.S. Geological Survey
• Mr. Roy E. Wright, Deputy Associate Administrator for Mitigation, Federal Emergency Management Agency

Watch the hearing by clicking here.