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Over the weekend, Senators from five petroleum-rich states accompanied the U.S. Secretary of the Interior on a visit to Alaska. On Saturday, Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke, along with five other senators including Senator Lisa Murkowski, arrived in Fairbanks on a fact finding mission. Although the majority of the tour takes place in Alaska, the senators and Secretary started off the mission visiting a cutting edge liquid natural gas plant in Norway.  Secretary Zinke discusses why they visited Norway prior to Alaska. “We toured a liquid natural gas facility, which is on the cutting edge, so this trip was primarily

Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke is spending several days in Alaska on his way back from a trip to Norway, and has toured Prudhoe Bay as he makes his way south. News outlets were surprised to get official word of Zinke’s trip from Gov. Bill Walker, who broke the security embargo about the secretary’s trip on Friday, ahead of Alaska’s DC delegation. There was a mad scramble by Zinke’s security detail, Must Read Alaskawas told. Zinke and an entourage of senators stopped in Denali National Park to meet with park staff, and Zinke said he thinks the name “Denali” will do just fine, as it has for thousands of years. Then

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) authored a letter to the chairman and ranking member of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee requesting swift consideration of the Modernizing Government Technology Act of 2017 (S. 990/H.R. 2227). This is legislation to modernize government information technology, eliminate wasteful spending and strengthen cybersecurity. The letter was also signed by U.S. Sens. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.). “In the time that has passed since we first introduced this legislation, the threats of hacking, espionage and cybercrime have only grown more real,” said Moran. “This month we saw a worldwide

Lawmakers in the House and Senate hopes to push legislation to replace the internet privacy regulations set during the Obama administration. The planned move by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)  would lead to a supply of consumer complaints about their privacy rights. In an article published in Augusta Chronicle, there are at least two Senate bills that are being drafted to address the regulatory void and public outcry that was created last month after congressional Republicans repealed internet privacy rules that were issued by the FCC last year, basing from the Congressional Review Act. With the repeal on the internet privacy, the internet

   Four senators have asked Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) and Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri), the committee’s ranking member, to mark up a bipartisan bill that would allow federal agencies to establish their own working capital funds to upgrade their information technology systems. The lawmakers said in a letter published Wednesday the Modernizing Government Technology Act of 2017 also seeks to create a centralized modernization fund within the Treasury Department that would be managed by a board of federal IT experts. They said reporting the proposed legislation out of the Senate panel would help advance national security objectives. Sen. Jerry

For members of Congress worried about the rising cost of forest fires, a tone of desperation may be settling in. A sense of urgency — and unconventional thinking — around tackling wildfires on federal land were on display yesterday at a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on the Forest Service budget. Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), a senior appropriator, said he may try to block the agency’s practice of borrowing funds from other programs to fight the blazes. And Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), whose state has one national forest, said she would be willing to engage one of progressives’ sworn enemies —

House and Senate lawmakers are hoping to push legislation to replace recently repealed Obama-era internet privacy regulations, a move by the Federal Communications Commission that has led to a tide of consumer complaints. At least two Senate bills are being drafted to address the regulatory void and public outcry created last month when congressional Republicans repealed internet privacy rules issued by the FCC last year, using the Congressional Review Act. With the repeal, internet service providers such as Comcast and Verizon can use and sell their customers’ online internet activity for marketing purposes unless consumers specifically request to opt out.