Murkowski, the top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said she supports continuation of the Energy’s Department loan guarantee program for green energy, and more broadly backs a federal role in boosting market deployment of alternative energy.

“I do believe there is a role, and perhaps that sets me apart from some of my other colleagues on Capitol Hill,” said Murkowski, who is the top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee…

“I think we need to get through this period and be able to reflect on what it is that actually comes out of these loan guarantee programs. We are focusing right now on the failures instead of also recognizing that we have done good things for the loan guarantee program,” Murkowski said. “We need to make sure it does what it is supposed to be doing.”