U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski visited three Haines locations during a four-hour stop Friday.

Murkowski, a Republican, is campaigning for re-election to the six-year seat. In the Aug. 24 primary, she faces Fairbanks attorney Joe Miller, who has the endorsement of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

After visits to the American Bald Eagle Foundation, Elks Lodge and Haines Assisted Living, Murkowski said in an interview that she heard concerns from residents about government overreach, particularly regarding the Environmental Protection Agency, and spending. “What I heard more than any other thing was it seems like Washington is out of control, out of check right now.”

With gridlock in Washington, there’s no guarantee of funding for the Haines harbor this year, she said. “You really need to understand where you are on the list, and you’re right on top. It’s not a sure bet, but when stacked up against other projects, it’s a better bet.”

Murkowski called securing funding for Fort Seward restoration “a tough one.” The “sanest approach,” she said, would be seeking historic preservation grants. “You probably have a greater likelihood of assistance through them than through direct appropriation. That’s just the reality of where we are.”

She encouraged residents to do more to spread awareness of the Fort and its needs. “What we have to work on is making others appreciate what’s sitting here and the historic value. Who really knows outside of people in this region that Fort Seward is as intact as it is?”

She said Haines has the potential to be a “great staging area” for an Alaska natural gas pipeline but needed more infrastructure and assets.

Murkowski said the war in Afghanistan is now the nation’s longest war and isn’t going well. “The levels of violence are up. It’s appropriate that we’re asking questions.” Asked how long constituents should expect the war to continue, Murkowski said commanding Gen. David Petraeus has said the Afghanistan effort should be re-evaluated in June 2011. “The debate about the war seems to be interesting for multiple reasons.”

Asked how long the nation could afford the war, Murkowski said a decision to pull out should not be made because the cost has reached a certain amount. “What we need to do as we deal with any matters of war is to an honest assessment of our goals and make critical evaluations of our progress.”

Murkowski said proposed regulatory reform of the finance sector hasn’t gone far enough. “I don’t believe the bill the conference committee has adopted will be effective to solve the problem. We will see greater consolidation of banks with the contraction of credit and the smaller guys won’t be able to stay in business.”

Reforms haven’t included re-enacting provisions of the Glass-Steagall Act, Depression-era legislation that created a firewall between commercial and investment banks. Repeal of Glass-Steagall in 1999 has been cited as contributing to the 2007 crisis in the financial sector.

Large banks have opposed a re-enactment of the law.

In comments before about a dozen people at the eagle foundation, Murkowski said the political aftermath of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill has shut down oil industry activity in the Chukchi Sea and would have other negative impacts on Alaska.

“I can almost guarantee you we will continue to see regulatory issues that are difficult for us as a state.” Alaska has to develop its resources in balance with the environment to have jobs that are more than carrying bags for tourists, she said.

Too much federal spending is going to “extraordinary growth in government jobs,” Murkowski said.

“We’ve taken over health care in my opinion but we haven’t helped out small business. We’ve put more on your backs,” she said.

She referred to the current duel between Democrats and Republicans over spending bills as a “battle royale,” and told residents not to expect much headway to occur before upcoming Congressional elections.

Her visit included photographs with Mayor Jan Hill and state Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Haines, and a tour of the Haines Assisted Living facility.

Meeting with former Chilkat Valley News publisher Ray Menaker at the HAL residence, Murkowski noted, “All this was just dirt the last time I was here.”

“We shoveled the dirt out,” Menaker quipped.

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