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The challenges of Arctic management Interagency report argues for integrated and coordinated approach, blending the environmental, economic and cultural needs Alan Bailey Petroleum News
The interagency working group established by President Obama to coordinate federal oil and gas permitting in Arctic Alaska has published a report recommending a more integrated approach to the management and planning of economic activity in the Arctic.
Five actions The report, issued on April 4 and called “Managing for the Future in a Rapidly Changing Arctic,” advocates five actions:
•The adoption of an integrated approach to the management of Arctic activities, combining and balancing environmental, economic and cultural objectives. This approach needs to be based on science and involve a “whole-of-government” tactic for Arctic stewardship, while being adaptive in considering the entire impacts of activities across the Arctic and generating sustainable solutions, the report says.
•The adoption of a new national Arctic policy, directed by the president through the executive branch of government.
•The strengthening of key partnerships between the federal government, the State of Alaska and Alaska Native tribal governments and organizations
•The improvement of stakeholder engagement through an assessment by the federal government of how to enhance current interactions between government agencies, key partners and other stakeholders in the Arctic.
•The coordination and streamlining of federal actions through a review of interagency Arctic efforts. The review, to be completed by the end of 2013, will identify ways of avoiding overlapping agency missions and duplication of effort, and will look for ways to use existing tools and processes to better coordinate agency decision making, the report says.
“This report is a call to action on a pressing issue of national importance,” the report says. “The cultural, ecological and economic costs of failing to adapt and strengthen management approaches in the face of rapid change are unacceptable. Our challenge is to apply the principles of integrated Arctic management to today’s decisions and to those that lie ahead in our shared future as an Arctic nation.”
Challenges According to the report’s authors, the report results from some challenges that the interagency working group, chaired by Interior Deputy Secretary David Hayes, discovered after its formation in 2011. Those challenges consisted of a difficulty in accessing scientific data and other information pertinent to agency Arctic decision making, and an emerging view that the working group could play a role in advancing an Arctic-wide perspective on environmental and cultural issues, the report says.
To start addressing these challenges, the working group initiated the preparation of the report in the summer of 2012, following interactions with other organizations involved in Arctic decision-making policies, including the National Ocean Council and the Arctic Research Commission, the report says.
Fran Ulmer, chair of the Arctic Research Commission, has agreed to take a lead in improving access to Arctic scientific data, the first of the working group’s challenges, the report says. And, as an initial step, the commission has developed a web portal at www.arctic.gov/portal/, as a gateway to websites containing publicly available information.
Broader role The report itself begins to address the second challenge — the potential for the working group playing a broader Arctic role — by presenting an overview of current needs and trends in Arctic ecology, Arctic cultural issues and long-term Arctic commercial considerations. Chapters in the report include overviews of the various changes taking place in the Arctic and of various visions from different perspectives of the future of the Arctic.
The report particularly emphasizes key factors driving Arctic environmental change, considering issues such as environmentally important areas and natural processes; environmental, climatic and human-impact trends that could affect environmental resources; and the needs and trends of commercial activities, society and government.
Responses Gov. Sean Parnell issued a statement saying that the state will review the report and comment on it.
“The Interior report highlights a need for an improved state-federal partnership in the Arctic. Alaska agrees and expects to have a central role in developing next steps,” Parnell said. “We also appreciate federal attention to the need for additional infrastructure, local economic opportunities, science and emergency response capabilities in the Arctic and urge more federal investment in each of these areas.”
Rep. Bob Herron and Sen. Lesil McGuire, co-chairs of the Alaska Legislature’s Alaska Arctic Policy Commission, also issued a statement in response to the publication of the report. Herron said that he felt encouraged by the federal government’s acknowledgement of the need to partner with the state and with Alaska Native organizations. McGuire welcomed the federal working group’s recognition of the need to work with Arctic stakeholders.
“This isn’t just a report; it’s a call to action on a very important issue facing not only Alaska, but also the nation,” McGuire said. “I was pleased to see that the federal government acknowledges the importance of engaging stakeholders that know this region well and that they aim to employ a coordinated approach when developing an integrated management style.”
Importance to U.S. Alaska’s two U.S. senators welcomed the report’s recognition of the importance of the Arctic to the United States.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski also welcomed the recognition of the needs of Arctic residents.
“This report provides a good general summary of the challenges facing policymakers on Arctic issues, though none of the information in the report will come as a surprise to Alaskans or anyone else who closely follows Arctic issues,” Murkowski said. “I agree that there needs to be greater coordination between the various federal agencies involved with Arctic policies, as well as a substantive role for the state of Alaska and local communities in determining those policies. It is also important that the White House provide real leadership to ensure that Arctic issues are a priority for the more than 20 federal agencies with responsibilities in the region.”
Sen. Mark Begich commented that the report recognizes that effective management of the U.S. Arctic can enable responsible development in the region. And Begich commended the interagency working group on its efforts to coordinate federal agencies in their regulation of Arctic development activities.
Oceana, an environmental organization, praised Interior for taking a step towards a scientific approach to Arctic Ocean energy development planning.
“Arctic ecosystems, home to people, whales, seals, walrus, birds and fish, face threats ranging from climate change and ocean acidification to shipping, fishing, and oil and gas activities,” Oceana said. “The … report shows important progress towards considering the future of the Arctic holistically. The traditional piecemeal approach to decision-making misses the big picture and has failed in the Arctic.”
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