US Arctic Economic Council representatives named

The Alaska State Chamber of Commerce and the Alaska Arctic Policy Commission have named Lori Davey, Bruce Harland and Gail Schubert as U.S. representatives to the Arctic Economic Council. Davey is the general manager of Fairweather LLC, Harland is vice president business development for Crowley Marine Services Inc. and Schubert is president and CEO of Bering Straits Native Corp.

Chuck Greene, vice president community and regional affairs for NANA Development Corp., is a backup representative, should one of the appointed representatives not be able to participate.

The Arctic Council, an intergovernmental forum of the eight Arctic nations, decided in May 2013 to form the Arctic Economic Council as a forum for fostering sustainable development in the Arctic, to enhance regional economic cooperation, to facilitate business development and to maximize the way in which economic development takes into account environmental protection and the need for a positive impact on Arctic communities.

In March of this year senior Arctic officials announced that they were moving forward with the Arctic Economic Council initiative, with each Arctic state and permanent participant in the Arctic Council invited to name up to three representatives to attend the Economic Council’s inaugural meeting. The Arctic Economic Council will subsequently decide on its membership, governance, structure and activities.

Since four of the six Arctic Council permanent participant groups have indigenous representation in Alaska, there will be further Alaska representation on the Arctic Economic Council, in addition to the three U.S. representatives who have now been named.

“The formation of this new group … represents a dynamic new opportunity for the business community to forward their expert perspectives, promoting responsible economic development, onto the Arctic Council,” said state Sen. Lesil McGuire, R-Anchorage, co-chair of the Alaska Arctic Policy Commission. “Equally important, these Arctic industry experts will now have an opportunity to respond to and advise other Arctic Council initiatives with respect to their impacts and effects on economic development and the peoples of the circumpolar Arctic.”

- Alan Bailey