news

Alaskan Congressman Don Young (U.S. Army 1955-1957) released the following statement today commemorating Veterans Day: “America would not be the country that we are today if it weren’t for the courage and sacrifice of our servicemen and women. They lay their lives on the line day in and day out to defend the freedoms that we take for granted. As Congress wrestles with where to make budget cuts, w... Read more »

Alaskan Congressman Don Young released the following statement today regarding the Obama Administration’s announcement of its Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program Proposal for 2012-2017: “While today’s announcement by the Obama Administration seems to be a step in the right direction, it is important to remember that there’s more than meets the eye. In reality this plan is si... Read more »

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) decision to award a $494,162 grant to AquaBounty Technologies, Alaska Congressman Don Young and Congressman Peter DeFazio (OR) sent a letter today to the USDA asking them to rescind the grant immediately. The grant was awarded as part of the Biotechnology Research Assessment Grants (BRAG) program which aims to ... Read more »

Alaskan Congressman Don Young met with U.S. Fish & Wildlife (FWS) Chief Law Enforcement Officer William Woody today to discuss some of his concerns with the FWS’s law enforcement practices in Alaska. During many of Rep. Young’s trips around Alaska, many incidents with FWS officials have been brought to Congressman Young’s attention where constituents felt the FWS was acting in an aggressive and o... Read more »

In light of efforts by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to plan and implement Universal Service Fund (USF) reforms, Alaskan Congressman Don Young and Rep. Collin Peterson (MN) have co-founded the House Universal Service Fund Caucus. The bipartisan USF Caucus’ main goal will be to provide Members of Congress and their staffs with the resources to better understand the complex and rapidl... Read more »

The House Natural Resources Committee held a legislative hearing today on H.R. 2714, a bill sponsored by Alaskan Congressman Don Young. If passed, H.R. 2714, would permit the interstate sale of sea otter pelts and the export of handicrafts, garments, and art made from such pelts of the Southcentral or Southeast Alaska northern sea otter stocks that are taken for subsistence purposes. In parts of A... Read more »

Today, the House of Representatives passed by voice vote H.R. 441 and H.R. 295 which were both introduced by Alaskan Congressman Don Young. H.R. 441, the Kantishna Hills Renewable Energy Act of 2011 would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to issue permits for hydroelectricity projects in the Kantishna Hills area located within the Denali National Park. Additionally, this legislation would fa... Read more »

Alaska Congressman Don Young participated in a field hearing today in Seattle held by the House Natural Resources Committee. The hearing focused on the science behind the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Steller Sea Lion Biological Opinion (BiOp) and the economic impacts of the fishery restrictions that result from it. The Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands groundfish fishery has ... Read more »

Alaskan Congressman Don Young released the following statement regarding the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform’s passage of H.R. 2309, the Postal Reform Act of 2011, which includes a provision that would have a drastic effect on the bypass mail program on which many Alaskans rely: “I am disappointed that the Oversight Committee decided to move forward with legislation that target... Read more »

In an effort to recognize his decades of service to Alaska and the country, the Alaska Congressional Delegation has introduced legislation to name the federal courthouse in Anchorage after the late Judge James M. Fitzgerald. Judge Fitzgerald served Alaska from 1959 to 2006 on the first Alaska Superior Court bench, on the Alaska Supreme Court, and on the U.S. District Court for the District of Alas... Read more »