Newsroom: Press Releases
Senator Stevens Does More after 5 p.m. than a Rookie Senator Could in a Year
In the last two weeks Senator Ted Stevens has continued his fight for Alaska, delivering a variety of bills and funding programs that positively impact Alaska families across the state. The Senator has put in many early mornings and late nights working with his Republican and Democrat Senate colleagues to ensure that Alaskans’ needs are met and way of life is protected.
“While Mark Begich spends time making promises and pandering to Outsiders who oppose Alaska development, I have been working hard to represent Alaska,” said Senator Stevens. “My opponent is trying to convince Alaskans that I am no longer effective. But, the thousands of Alaskans affected by the legislation we passed in the last two weeks would obviously disagree. I am honored to fight every day for Alaska families and I look forward to continuing our efforts for years to come.”
Below is a list of major pieces of legislation championed by Senator Stevens that have been approved in the last two weeks. These affect a wide variety of Alaskans, from military families to federal employees seeking equal pay and from Alaska Native businesses to the next generation of Alaska pilots:
- Congress passed Senator Stevens’ provision that would protect victims of the Exxon Valdez oil spill from tax burdens associated with the punitive damages awarded in Exxon Shipping Co. v. Baker.
- Congress approved a measure co-sponsored by Senator Stevens to increase education funding for Southeast Alaska municipalities and school districts for fiscal years 2008 through 2011. Payments to Alaska would increase because of a new formula for determining payments based on the acreage of National Forest lands in Alaska. The new formula is expected to expand Alaska’s share of funding from $9.7 million to about $19 million.
- Congress passed a bill to combat pilot shortages in Alaska by expanding aviation pilot training programs. Senator Stevens included $2.5 million for the Troops to Pilots Demonstration program within the Department of Defense. This program will help transition retiring service members from their military flying careers into civil aviation careers and help Alaska mitigate the pilot shortage in the commercial aviation industry. NASA will fund centers at universities across the country, including the University of Alaska, to investigate new technologies related to air traffic management and training requirements for pilots and air traffic controllers.
- Congress approved military funding legislation championed by Senator Stevens that appropriates $10 million for a coal-to-liquid facility at Eielson Air Force base, $500,000 for wind turbines that will reduce diesel consumption by 20 percent in Tin City, $3 million for Army National Guard Reintegration programs for Guardsmen returning from deployment, and $6 million for family programs on Alaska’s military bases.
- At Senator Stevens urging, Congress removed a provision from the annual Defense Authorization Bill that would have required some government agencies to minimize awarding of contracts to Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs) under the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) program. While some small businesses would have been exempt from this reduction in the awarding of contracts, ANCs would have received no such exemption.
- Congress passed Senator Stevens’ legislation – the Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act – which creates education programs and public awareness campaigns to teach children about online safety and protect them from online predators and cyber bullies.
- The Senate passed Senator Stevens’ bill to convert federal employees in Alaska from the Cost of Living Allowances system to locality pay. The change, urged by Alaska’s federal employees, ensures that federal employees’ base pay increases for retirement purposes.
- Congress approved legislation with a provision authored by Senator Stevens to enhance Coast Guard presence in Alaska. The bill provided $7.6 million to operate the Coast Guard Cutter Acushnet based in Ketchikan, reactivates the polar icebreaker Polar Star, and includes $11.6 million for military family housing in Cordova.
- Congress passed a bill that includes a Stevens provision to inventory the methane stocks in Alaska. The goal of the provision is to identify high concentrations of methane in the polar region with a possibility of capturing the gas as it seeps from the ground. The measure would also study capturing methane as a local energy source.
- The Senate approved a Stevens-sponsored measure to enhance ocean navigation and safety in Alaska. The Hydrographic Services Improvement Act allows the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to promulgate new standards for hydrographic data and develop nautical charts, as well as contract, build, and operate ships to acquire hydrographic data.
- The Senate passed legislation pushed by Senator Stevens to combat drug trafficking by making it illegal to operate unflagged self-propelled semi-submersible (SPSS) vessels on international voyages. SPSS vessels are used to smuggle drugs worldwide.
