Federal snow day won’t stop Arctic hearing

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) isn’t letting the D.C. snowstorm derail her hearing on the Arctic, which began without a hitch Thursday despite a snow day for the federal government.

{mosads}”It is appropriate that the first-ever full Arctic hearing scheduled in a full Senate committee is held on a day that has Washington gripped with anxiety in anticipation of weather,” she said in her opening remarks.

“If there’s one thing the Arctic knows, it’s weather,” she added.

The Office of Personnel Management closed all federal offices Thursday and the House and Senate both canceled votes so lawmakers could head home for a long weekend and beat the snow.

Weather reports are predicting anywhere from 4 to 8 inches of snow.

Murkowski’s Senate Energy and National Resources Committee is meeting to discuss ways to boost America’s presence in the Arctic. The committee is hearing from Alaskan lawmakers, experts and the State Department’s special representative for the Arctic.

“Alaskans are quite adept at dealing with a little snow, and we’re happy to come in, especially for a hearing drawing attention to the strategic opportunities presented by America’s status as an Arctic nation,” Robert Dillon, the committee’s communications director, said in an email.

The House Natural Resources Committee is also braving the weather and meeting with Interior Secretary Sally Jewell to discuss the agency’s budget.