Murkowski Celebrates Major Wins for Alaska in Interior Appropriations Bill

Murkowski Celebrates Major Wins for Alaska in Interior Appropriations Bill

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) secured a wide range of Alaska priorities and policy wins in the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Chair of the Interior-Environment Subcommittee, Murkowski used her leadership position to shape the legislation to reflect Alaska's unique needs-strengthening public safety, supporting subsistence and Native communities, advancing responsible resource development, and investing in wildfire response and natural hazard mitigation.

H.R. 6938, which also includes two other spending bills, has now passed both the House and Senate, and heads to the President's desk for his signature.

"Alaska is unique, and our federal policies must reflect that reality," said Senator Murkowski. "As Chair of the Interior-Environment Subcommittee, I worked to ensure this bill helps Alaska communities become more resilient and better prepared for natural disasters, while ensuring that we are treated as a true partner in federal decision-making. From wildfire management and subsistence access, to infrastructure, clean water, management of our public lands, and consultation with Alaska Native entities, these investments are about making a meaningful impact in communities across the state."

FY26 Interior-Environment Appropriations Bill Highlights

The Senate Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies oversees a broad portfolio of federal agencies with major responsibilities in Alaska, including the Department of the Interior (DOI), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Indian Health Service (IHS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Strengthening wildfire response and community protection

Recognizing the growing wildfire risk across Alaska and the country, Senator Murkowski ensured the inclusion of $1.517 billion for Wildland Fire Management at DOI, including $370 million for the Wildfire Suppression Operations Reserve Fund. The U.S. Forest Service's wildland fire management is funded at $2.43 billion, maintaining robust suppression and preparedness capabilities. Additional report language allows the Forest Service to use bark beetle mitigation funding on non-federal lands when states identify wildfire risks to nearby communities.

Ensuring consultation with Alaska Native entities

Multiple provisions reinforce the importance of meaningful consultation with Tribes and Alaska Native Corporations. The bill includes language on the importance of reducing cases of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and supports consultation with Tribes in P.L. 280 States on law enforcement needs to improve public safety in their communities.

Supporting Alaska Native lands and economic interests

The BLM Alaska Conveyance account is funded at $32.7 million, a $1 million increase over FY25, to advance long-overdue land transfers. The bill also provides $500,000 to conduct an appraisal of lands owed to Eklutna, Inc. under the North Anchorage Land Agreement, which is an essential step toward completing the settlement in ANCSA. An additional $1.5 million supports Alaska Native entities that have entered into 17(b) easement agreements with BLM.

The bill includes report language expressing that the Administration must follow the law and permit access from the Ambler Mining District to the Dalton Highway in accordance with ANILCA, while also directing agencies to improve critical mineral permitting timelines under a provision Murkowski authored in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

Also included are an additional $3 million and report language for probate requiring BIA to provide a report on staffing needs, resource needs, and the average amount of time it takes to complete the probate process for eligible States and what opportunities exist to improve timeliness to comply with regulatory deadlines.

Investing in fisheries, subsistence, and wildlife management

The bill includes $4.7 million for the Pacific Salmon Treaty, including $1.5 million for implementation of the Yukon River Salmon Agreement. Funding is also provided for the National Wildlife Refuge Fund, the Alaska Nannut Co-management Council, the Eskimo Walrus Commission, and the Prescott Firefighter Grant Program. Report language addresses subsistence snowmachine access, traditional knowledge, community safety related to polar bears, and management of the Alaska Maritime and Kenai National Wildlife Refuges. Also included is $2 million in funding to address trail maintenance needs within National Forests in States and Territories outside of the continental United States.

Advancing public safety and justice in Alaska Native communities

The Bureau of Indian Affairs receives $570 million for Public Safety and Justice, a $14.5 million increase over FY25. Under Tribal Justice Support, $21 million is provided for P.L. 280 courts. The bill includes report language supporting tribal law enforcement, wellness courts, and public safety facilities in remote Alaska communities. Legacy provisions address the disproportionate representation of Alaska Native children in foster care, preservation of Native languages, subsistence pilot programs, and continued support for shelters such as the Emmonak Women's Shelter.

Preparing for earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and climate risks

The USGS receives targeted increases to improve hazard monitoring across Alaska, including expanded funding for earthquake early warning systems and landslide hazard programs, ShakeAlert expansion into Alaska, and the Alaska Mapping Initiative. It also maintains funding for volcano hazard programs. The bill also includes $1.5 million in new funding to support the development of engineering solutions to enhance glacial outburst monitoring and floor risk mitigation within the National Forest System.

Improving clean water, infrastructure, and environmental health

The bill provides $1.63 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and $1.1 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, maintaining strong investments in water infrastructure. It includes $2 million for a new Above Ground Storage Tank Grant Program, $20 million for Alaska Contaminated Lands cleanup, and $30.7 million for safe drinking water technical assistance-particularly for rural and small communities. Additional funding supports transboundary watersheds, wood stove certification, airshed grants, sewer overflow mitigation, and Superfund cleanup. Additional funding supports geothermal assessments, critical mineral mapping, and continued monitoring of transboundary watersheds such as the Unuk River.

Expanding health care capacity in Alaska

The Indian Health Service receives $8 million for maternal health improvements, a $1 million increase from FY25, along with $31 million for new staffing packages at Alaska facilities, including the Chugachmiut Regional Health Center in Seward and Mount Edgecumbe Medical Center in Sitka.

Protecting Alaska from one-size-fits-all regulations

The bill includes Murkowski-led provisions clarifying the application of the Endangered Species Act to sage grouse, prohibiting federal regulation of the lead content of ammunition and fishing tackle, restricting greenhouse gas reporting requirements, and addressing the use of small remote incinerators-policies aimed at preventing unnecessary regulatory burdens on rural and subsistence communities.

Investing in American Culture, Arts, and Humanities

The bill provides funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to support arts and humanities projects nationwide. This includes grants for education, public outreach, cultural programming, and community-based initiatives. NEH funding also encompasses dedicated support for humanities grants and a matching grants program that leverages private contributions to strengthen preservation, research, and educational efforts across the country.

Also included is funding for the Smithsonian Institution to support research, preserve and expand the national collections, modernize and protect facilities, and enhance public exhibits and education programs. Additional funding was also provided for facilities capital needs to repair, revitalize, and modernize Smithsonian buildings and infrastructure nationwide.

In addition to programmatic funding to help Alaskans, Murkowski was able to secure investments specific to 19 Alaska communities, projects that have been requested and prioritized by local governments and organizations:

• Bristol Bay: $3.86 million for the collection, processing, staging, and backhaul of scrap metal waste to prevent environmental contamination and protect subsistence resources.

• Fairbanks: $3 million to expand natural gas infrastructure in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, supporting cleaner energy use and improved air quality.

• Homer: $937,868 to update a drinking water facility.

• Hoonah: $5.121 million to upgrade the Icy Strait Point force main sewer system, supporting the community's wastewater treatment capacity amid increased use.

• Ketchikan: $6 million to upgrade the Charcoal Point wastewater treatment plant, improving reliability and long-term wastewater management for the community.

• King Cove: $2 million to upgrade the city's solid waste processing facility as the existing landfill nears the end of its useful life.

• Petersburg: $8 million to complete planning and engineering for a new wastewater treatment facility to replace outdated infrastructure.

• Prince William Sound: $250,000 for beach rehabilitation to repurpose high-density polyethylene pipe and remove debris impacting coastal habitats.

• Sitka: $10 million for the design and construction of a new wastewater effluent disinfection system to modernize Sitka's wastewater treatment facility and improve water quality.

• Teller: $700,000 to purchase new landfill processing equipment to increase capacity and improve waste management operations.

• Unalaska: $3.4 million to replace the Captains Bay drinking water line, improving reliability and water delivery for the community.

• Wasilla: $1.93 million for the design of the Wasilla-Palmer water system interconnect to increase redundancy and strengthen regional water security.

• Whittier: $1.59 million to replace aging and near-failing wastewater lift stations that pose risks to public health and environmental safety.

• Wrangell: $10 million to upgrade the municipal wastewater treatment plant to ensure continued compliance with water quality standards and support community health.

• Yakutat: $1.504 million to construct water and sewer infrastructure for the Forest Highway Subdivision, improving basic services for residents.

• Statewide (Tribal Communities): $500,000 for the Cook Inlet Tribal Council to support dissemination of the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children's report, "The Way Forward," and to develop a toolkit to assist with implementation of its recommendations.

• Statewide (North Slope and Northwest Alaska): $241,000 for the Robert Aqqaluk Newlin Sr. Memorial Trust's Uqapiaqta Iñupiatun Adult Fluency Program to support adult Inupiaq language learners through elder gatherings, staffing, and curriculum development.

• Statewide: $1.5 million for the Alaska Trails Initiative to construct the Grant Creek Bridge and extend the Iditarod National Historic Trail between Moose Pass and Grant Creek, expanding recreational and historic trail access.

• Statewide: $3.5 million for the Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection to carry out fuels reduction projects aligned with Community Wildfire Protection Plans, helping protect communities from wildfire risk.

Senator Murkowski will begin accepting appropriations requests from Alaskans for programmatic and Congressional Directed Spending for Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) on January 26, 2026.

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