Senators urge U.S. Arctic strategy

Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, have asked President Obama to prepare a U.S. strategy for the Arctic, tying together the policies and visions of the multiple government agencies that deal with energy development and other Arctic opportunities.

President George W. Bush issued a brief Arctic policy paper towards the end of his administration, but since then “dozens of federal agencies have been working on various aspects of Arctic development and protection with little coordination,” the senators wrote in a July 12 press release.

Other Arctic nations such as Canada and Norway have developed strategies identifying national needs and priorities, and setting goals for issues such as energy development, marine resources, Arctic infrastructure and vessel monitoring, the senators wrote.

“Developing an American Arctic strategy is especially timely now, with the hope for offshore oil and gas exploration in Alaska’s Arctic this summer. The number of cargo ships transiting the Bering Strait is increasing to new record highs and America’s indigenous peoples are justifiably concerned with the impacts of these developments and changing conditions on their subsistence ways of life,” the senators wrote.

—Alan Bailey