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From Politico: Sen. Lisa Murkowski rolled out legislation on Thursday to formally rename North America’s highest mountain as Denali — officially countering President Donald Trump’s executive order to rename it Mount McKinley.
The bill, which fellow Republican Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan is co-sponsoring, would require the Alaska mountain to be referred to as Denali in any laws, maps, regulations, documents, papers or other U.S. records.
HISTORY OF THE MOUNTAIN, from the Associated Press:
Trump, on his first day in office, signed an executive order calling for the name to revert to Mount McKinley, an identifier inspired by President William McKinley, who was from Ohio and never set foot in Alaska.
According to the National Park Service, a prospector in 1896 dubbed the peak Mount McKinley for William McKinley, who was elected president that year. Although there were challenges to the McKinley name at the time it was announced, maps had already been circulated with the mountain’s name in place.
The name was formally recognized by the U.S. government until it was changed in 2015 by the Obama administration to Denali.
The name change reflected the traditions of Alaska Natives and the preference of many Alaskans, underscored by a push by state leaders decades earlier. The 20,310-foot (6,190-meter) mountain in Denali National Park and Preserve on clear days can be see from hundreds of miles away.
Last Friday, Alaska lawmakers passed a resolution urging President Trump to change course and leave the mountain’s name as Mount Denali.
Now Murkowski is directly contesting Trump’s order. Below is her full press release:
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today introduced legislation that would officially designate North America’s highest mountain as Denali, the name bestowed by Alaska’s Koyukon Athabascans. The bill would require that any reference in U.S. laws, maps, regulations, or other records refer to the mountain as Denali.
“In Alaska, it’s Denali,” Senator Murkowski said. “Once you see it in person, and take in the majesty of its size and breathe in its cold air, you can understand why the Koyukon Athabascans referred to it as ‘The Great One.’ This isn’t a political issue – Alaskans from every walk of life have long been advocating for this mountain to be recognized by its true name. That’s why today I once again introduced legislation that would officially keep this mountain’s quintessential name, ‘Denali.’”
Background: In 1975, the State of Alaska officially recognized “Denali” as the name of the peak, and requested action by the U.S. Board of Geographic Names to do the same. In 1980, Congress changed the name of Mount McKinley National Park to Denali National Park and Preserve.
Senator Murkowski has long advocated for the mountain to officially be called “Denali,” having introduced this legislation in three previous Congresses. In 2015, the Department of the Interior returned its official designation to “Denali.” Last month, President Trump signed an executive order titled “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness,” which directed the Secretary of the Interior to change the name of the mountain to “Mount McKinley.”
Last week, the Alaska State Senate unanimously adopted a resolution urging the President, Secretary of the Interior, and the United States Board on Geographic Names to maintain the name Denali. The Senate adopted House Joint Resolution 4, originally introduced by State Representative Maxine Dibert, after the Alaska State House of Representatives passed the resolution.
U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) is an original cosponsor of the legislation.
In Alaska, it’s Denali.https://t.co/41BdQz3qQd
— Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) February 13, 2025
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