Arctic Update Header
December 29, 2015
 
Today's C ongressional Action:   
The House and Senate are not in session.

Media  
 
White House Wave of Regulations Looms in 2016. President Obama is preparing to unleash a wave of new regulations in 2016, as he looks to shore up his legacy on public protection issues during his final year in office... The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to finalize new rules to limit methane emissions from the oil and gas sector. The rule would require drillers to use advanced new technologies to track and block both accidental and purposeful leaks when producing and transmitting oil and gas. EPA has set a June deadline for the release of this final rule. The Hill
 
Glaciers Provide Insight on Norse Migration. Recent research on the dynamics of glaciers in the Arctic over the last millennium has altered understandings of climate history and of human migrations in this inhospitable region. Glaciers in Baffin Island and western Greenland reached their maximum extent during the time of  Medieval Warm Period,  roughly 950-1250,  instead of the Little Ice Age of the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries,  according to a recent research paper published in  ScienceAdvances. This and other paleoclimate data suggest that the western North Atlantic region remained cool during the Medieval Warm Period, while the eastern North Atlantic was comparably warmer. Understanding these climate patterns provides insight into the migration patterns of the Norse from Scandinavia into the Arctic during the Medieval Warm Period. Glacier Hub
 
Gazprom Statement Confirms its Commitment to Arctic Region. Gazprom Chairman Alexey Miller underlined his company's commitment to the Russian Arctic region in his Christmas and New Year address Tuesday. The statement followed news Monday that Gazprom's board of directors had approved a RUB 842 billion ($11.8 billion) investment program for 2016.  Noting Gazprom's leadership position in the Russian petroleum industry, Miller said: "We have been efficiently developing the Prirazlomnoye field in the Arctic Shelf. In November, the amount of oil output reached one million [tons] there and this vividly demonstrates that we operate this complex and extremely promising region in a productive and safe manner." RigZone

With Gov's Support, Bethel to be Seat of New Scout Battalion. With National Guard recruit numbers at a low in Alaska and concerns for Arctic security at a high, Gov. Walker wants to start a new line of defense across the state. He's included $2.3 million in his proposed budget for the project, and he wants this new force to begin in Bethel. Gov. Walker wants to create a military model of the first of its kind in the nation. It'd be a rural branch of the state militia called a scout battalion. Its purpose is to have local people with local knowledge on the ground, ready and trained to respond to natural and human-caused disasters. Alaska Public Radio
 
Finland Blocks Refugees From Cycling Across Russian Border into Lapland. Despite the geographical distance and inhospitable winter weather, Finland has emerged as an unlikely destination for refugees and migrants  in recent months. More than 30,000 refugees seeking asylum have traveled to the country this year, a dramatic increase from the typical 3,000 or so. As the year draws to a close, this sharp surge in arrivals has prompted an unusual move from Finnish authorities: a restriction on bicycle border crossings in Lapland. The Washington Post
 
Look at Arctic Issues in 2015 and 2016. Despite growing political tensions elsewhere in the world, 2015 was a year of cooperation in the Arctic, say two Canadian Arctic experts. "I think the single most important development in 2015 has been the continuation of cooperation in the Arctic, including centrally with Russia," said Prof Michael Byers, Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law at the University of British Columbia. "There has been no interruption of Arctic cooperation despite the significant tensions elsewhere over Ukraine." Radio Canada International

Legislative Action futureevents   

No Arctic legislation was formally considered yesterday.

Future Events
 
Norway-Russia: Bridging for Partnerships in Business, Education and Research, January 12, 2016 (Bodo, Norway).  The conference will be devoted to an opening of new academic semester and an upcoming 25 years cooperation between University of Nordland and Baltic State Technical University (St. Petersburg). On the second day the educational project's results "Arctic Bridge: Cooperation on PhD Education and Research Training in the field of Management in Extractive Industries in the High North" will be presented.
 
"Arctic Matters" day at the National Academy of Sciences, January 14th, 2016 (Washington, DC, USA) This symposium is part of an ongoing initiative of the National Academies of Science Polar Research Board to expand public understanding of why the dramatic changes affecting the Arctic region ultimately matter to us all.  The  agenda  features engaging presentations and discussions with top Arctic science and policy experts, and displays and interactive exhibits that illustrate Arctic change and its global impacts.  The event is free and open to the public.  There are  sponsorship opportunities , and a  call for exhibitor applications .  Audience space is limited, so  register today ; and please encourage your friends, neighbors, and colleagues to participate-as our goal is to reach well beyond the small circle of specialists who typically attend Arctic-themed events in the DC area. 
T he U.S. Arctic Research Commission is the primary sponsor of this event.

** New this week**  East-West Arctic Cooperation During Times of Global Tension, January 15, 2016. Can the United States and its allies cooperate with Russia, China and other Asian nations during times of tense relations - or will cooperation on common interests in the Arctic succumb to the more familiar geopolitical tensions of the Cold War era? Stimson will host this event. Vice Admiral Charles Michel, the Vice Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, will deliver a keynote speech on the new Arctic Coast Guard Forum established to promote maritime safety and security cooperation in the Arctic. Following VAdm. Michel's presentation, a panel of experts will discuss the progress and challenges to future East-West cooperation in the Arctic region.
 
Building upon the preceding Arctic Encounter event in Paris, the third annual Arctic Encounter Symposium (AES) in Seattle, Washington will convene policymakers, industry leaders, and leading experts to confront the leading issues in Arctic policy, innovation, and development. The AES mission is to raise awareness, engage challenges, and develop solutions for the future of a region and a people. The two-day program includes two keynote luncheons, expert plenary sessions, break out sessions, a networking cocktail reception and seated dinner. A closing reception will take place at the conclusion of the program.

2016 Arctic Frontiers, January 24-29, 2015 (Tromso, Norway). The Arctic is a global crossroad between commercial and environmental interests. The region holds substantial natural resources and many actors are investigating ways to utilise these for economic gain. Others view the Arctic as a particularly pristine and vulnerable environment and highlight the need to limit industrial development. Arctic Frontiers 2016 will discuss the balance between resource utilisation and preservation, and between industrial and environmental interests in the Arctic. Envisioning a well-planned, well-governed, and sustainable development in the Arctic, how can improved Arctic stewardship help balance environmental concerns with industrial expansion? How can the industrial footprints from future business activities be minimised? And last, but not least, what role will existing and emerging technologies play in making industrial development profitable and environmentally friendly, securing a sustainable growth scenario for Arctic communities?
 
16th Alaska Marine Science Symposium, January 25-29, 2016 (Anchorage, AK, USA) A valuable meeting focusing on research results from the Gulf of Alaska, the Bering Sea, and the Arctic Ocean. Good, in-depth, research from Alaska's marine regions. The agenda is available here. 
 
** New this week ** Alaska Forum on the Environment, February 8-12, 2016 (Anchorage, Alaska, USA). The Alaska Forum on the Environment (AFE) is Alaska's largest statewide gathering of environmental professionals from government agencies, non-profit and for-profit businesses, community leaders, Alaskan youth, conservationists, biologists and community elders. The diversity of attendees and comprehensive agenda sets this conference apart from any other. Each year there are over 80 technical breakout sessions and sensational Keynote Events. There will be a full week of sessions on climate change, energy, environmental regulations, cleanup and remediation, fish & wildlife, solid waste, and more.
 
43rd Annual Meeting of the Alaska Anthropological Association, March 2-6, 2016 (Sitka, Alaska, USA). The Alaska Anthropological Association will be holding its 43rd Annual Meeting in Sitka, Alaska.  This year it is being organized by archaeologists and anthropologists of the National Park Service - Alaska Region.

5th Annual Fletcher Opening Arctic Conference, March 12, 2016.  The Opening Arctic Conference builds on the Fletcher School's Warming Arctic International Inquiry series, to bring together high-level thought leaders from across disciplines, Fletcher's hallmark. Staged annually, Fletcher's event continues to address the foreign policy, economic, environmental and security implications of the opening Arctic, while dispelling myths.
 
Arctic Science Summit Week Arctic Observing Summit, March 12-18, 2016 (Fairbanks, AK, USA).   ASSW is the annual gathering of international organizations that support and facilitate long-term planning in Arctic research. In 2016, ASSW will be held in conjunction with AOS, which brings people together to facilitate the design, implementation, coordination and sustained long-term operation of an international network of Arctic observing systems.
  
** New this week** Alaska Rural Energy Conference, April 26-28, 2016 (Fairbanks, Alaska, USA). The Alaska Rural Energy Conference is a three day event offering a large variety of technical sessions covering new and ongoing energy projects in Alaska, as well as new technologies and needs for Alaska's remote communities. Building on the growing success, the Alaska Energy Authority and the Alaska Center for Energy and Power have joined forces again to organize and sponsor the 10th annual Alaska Rural Energy Conference.   

14th IATS Seminar, June 19-25, 2016 (Bergen, Norway).
The University of Bergen (UiB) is honored to host the 14th IATS Seminar in Bergen, Norway, from Sunday 19 to Saturday 25 June 2016 in co-operation with the Network for University Co-operation Tibet-Norway, an academic network with the universities of Oslo, Bergen and Tromsø as partners. The convenor is Professor Hanna Havnevik, Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo, and Chair of the Network.
 
11th International Conference on Permafrost (ICOP 2016), June 20-24, 2016 (Potsdam, Germany). The Alfred Wegener Institute has teamed up with UP Transfer GmbH and the University of Potsdam to organize a great conference for you, permafrost researchers. The conference aims at covering all relevant aspects of permafrost research, engineering and outreach on a global and regional level.
  
Inuit traditions are a repository of Inuit culture and a primary expression of Inuit identity. The theme for the 2016 Inuit Studies Conference invites Elders, knowledge-bearers, researchers, artists, policy-makers, students and others to engage in conversations about the many ways in which traditions shape understanding, while registering social and cultural change. The institutional hosts of "Inuit Traditions," Memorial University of Newfoundland and the Nunatsiavut Government, invite you to contribute to an exchange of knowledge to be held in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, October 7-10, 2016. Presentations on all aspects of Inuit studies will be welcome.
 

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