Murkowski pushes EPA Region 11

Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski said in Washington, D.C., March 1 that one issue he is pushing with the administration is creation of a separate region of the Environmental Protection Agency for Alaska.

The governor said he would be meeting with acting EPA Administrator Steve Johnson, “with regard to the establishment of Region 11 of the EPA.” Establishment of Region 11 was authorized “under the original Bush administration,” he said.

“We think the time has come particularly associated with the (gas) pipeline development.”

Asked if he thought the state’s chances were any better now than in the past to get its own region, the governor responded: “Yeah, because we’re getting tougher.”