And then, as we’re talking about offshore, we must ensure our obligations to our U.S. territories, something that we don’t talk [about] often enough.
Ensure the Department of the Interior meets its obligations to U.S. territories in offshore policy.
Occurrences
Evidence
legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown
BOEM made the CNMI proposed leasing notice available, gave the CNMI Governor a 60-day review/comment window ending October 19, 2026, and proposed a December 16, 2026 mineral lease sale if the process continues.
legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown
Murkowski told Interior Secretary Doug Burgum that DOI needed to ensure the new offshore program focused on the right basins and that, in offshore policy, the department must meet obligations to U.S. territories.
Assessments
Murkowski directly pressed Interior during the relevant Senate term to account for U.S. territories in offshore policy, and DOI/BOEM has since taken territory-specific procedural steps for CNMI offshore minerals leasing, including a proposed leasing notice and governor comment period. But the record only shows process movement, not that DOI has fully met or resolved its territorial offshore-policy obligations. Candidate credit is therefore limited to oversight and partial advancement during the same federal term, not full delivery.