Murkowski: Energy Must be a Part of National Security Discussion

Press Release

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today released reports on black market oil sales by the Islamic State (ISIS) and on the controversy surrounding the Kurdish Regional Government's (KRG) oil exports.

"Energy must have a seat at the table when it comes to national security and foreign policy," Murkowski said. "We cannot understand the Middle East without understanding oil."

The staff report on ISIS oil sales concluded: "Substantial uncertainty pervades our understanding of the mechanics, volume, and revenue associated with the terrorist group's black market petroleum operations…Depriving ISIS of whatever dark revenue pool it generates from its sales of oil will put additional strain on an organization with little capacity to expand its oil field operations."

The CRS report on Kurdish oil exports found: "The KRG must find export markets for its crude oil if production is to continue…The KRG must also find export markets for its crude oil to finance the government and continue the ongoing military action against the forces of the Islamic State."

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