Arctic Update Header
February 28, 2014

Arctic Ambitions, February 27-28, 2014 (Girdwood, Alaska). World Trade Center Alaska will host Arctic Ambitions III: Commercial Development of the Arctic. This conference focuses solely on Arctic international trade and business opportunities. It is anticipated that about 200 business and government leaders attending next year's conference.

 

Arctic Ambitions III will concentrate on the theme of international trade and business opportunities that flow from resource development in the Arctic. While policy and research inform the discussion, the conference focuses on global markets, international trade and logistics. The previous two conferences brought together presenters from Canada, Finland, Norway, Russia, Korea and Alaska. USARC Chair Fran Ulmer will be a speaker. 


capital Today's Congressional Action:   

The House and Senate are in session and expected to consider non-Arctic legislation today.

 

 

 

Media 

 

Cold War Part II? The U.S.-Russian relationship is going through one of its roughest patches since the fall of the Soviet Union, raising concerns on Capitol Hill about a new Cold War. Lawmakers on Thursday began to worry openly about a military confrontation with Russia as President Vladimir Putin launched military exercises on the border with Ukraine and pro-Russian gunmen stormed government buildings in the Crimea. The Hill 

 

capital Senators Take Another Crack at Energy Bill. A bipartisan Senate duo on Thursday renewed the fight for passage of an energy efficiency bill. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) on Thursday reintroduced an energy efficiency bill that stalled in September after debates about the Affordable Care Act and the Keystone XL pipeline sidetracked the legislation. The Hill 

 

antifreeze fish Industry Says U.S. Fish Law Works Well in Alaska. The Magnuson-Stevens Act, the 1976 law that governs fishing in the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska and other federal waters, is up for reauthorization in Congress. In past revisions, sectors of the Alaska industry squared off against each other. This time, the industry is mostly united in praising the law. But some of Alaska's non-commercial fishermen say their needs aren't getting enough attention. Alaska Public Radio 

 

Ban on Arctic Fishing Under Discussion. Representatives from Canada, the U.S. and Denmark will meet in Greenland this week to discuss Arctic fishing. Among the proposals to be discussed is the ban on commercial fisheries from operating beyond the 200-mile exclusive economic zones of the five Arctic nations. This initiative lacks the support of Russia and Norway, which so far have different views. FIS 

Legislative Actionfutureevents  

  

S. 2071, a bill to establish out Continual Shelf lease and permit processing coordination offices, and for other purposes (Introduced by Senator Mark Begich)

 

H.R 3110, the Huna Tlingit Traditional Gull Egg Use Act (Introduced by Congressman Don Young. Yesterday, the bill was ordered to be reported.)

 

H.R. 1103, to amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to provide that Alexander Creek, Alaska, is and shall be recognized as an eligible Native village under the Act, and for other purposes. (Congressman Don Young introduced the bill in March of 2013. Yesterday, the bill was ordered to be reported.)

Future Events

 

Warming Arctic: Development, Stewardship and Science (March 3-4, 2014). The third in a series of Fletcher School International Inquiries on the implications of the Warming Arctic will focus on the economic development of the High North in the years ahead. The 1st Warming Arctic inquiry in March 2012 explored the importance of the 8-country Arctic Council, just becoming of age. The 2nd Inquiry in March 2013 focused on the science of the warming arctic impacting global climate change. This 3rd Inquiry will address the accelerating economic development of the Arctic lands and waters as its plentiful resources become more accessible to be plumbed. 

 

Additional Documents: Save the Date; Hothouse in the Arctic: Planning for Wealth or Balancing Progress; A Witch's Brew: Arctic Warming + Global Climate Change.

  

Arctic 2050, March 12, 2014 (Brussels, Belgium). The 4th European Marine Board Forum will bring together Arctic stakeholders from multiple sectors (science, industry, policy & governance, NGOs, etc.) to: discuss current trends and patterns of change in Arctic Ocean ecosystems, including human activity; identify possible "2050" scenarios for Arctic Change and the corresponding implications for human health and well-being; highlight key research gaps, needs and challenges in support of understanding, mitigating against, or adapting to Arctic change; stimulate dialogue across sectors to aid common understanding, collaborative actions and sustainability targets; promote a vision for a sustainable ecosystem-based management of the Arctic Ocean by 2050.
 
New Vision for Sea Shipping Between Europe-Asia-USA, March 12-14, 2014 (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka Region, Russia). The Tranzit-DV Group, with the participation of the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East, is holding a conference in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The conference theme is the creation of a logistics complex - MILC (Multimodal Industrial-Logistics Complex) in the Asia-Pacific Region with developed infrastructure and traffic network. Topics include: Seaports in the Primorsky and Kamchatka regions: experience, opportunities, prospects and development of sea transport; use of the Northern Sea Route in the global transport services market; state programs for investment support and development of the Russian Far East; analysis of the situation on the Russian and global container transport and bunkering markets; prospects for port hub development and multimodal carriage; and, maritime insurance issues.

 

44th Annual International Arctic Workshop, March 14-16, 2014 (Boulder, CO). The Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research of the University of Colorado will host the workshop. This year's theme is "Arctic's New Normal." The workshop will consider shifting environmental baselines over decades to millennia and comparisons with the Antarctic. Previous workshops have included presentations on Arctic and Antarctic climate, atmospheric chemistry, environmental geochemistry, paleoenvironment, archeology, geomorphology, hydrology, glaciology, soils, ecology, oceanography, Quaternary history and more.
 

Navigational Developments and the Viability of Commercialized Shipping in the Arctic, March 20, 2014. (Washington, D.C.) The Federal Maritime Commission's Maritime Environmental Committee will be hosting a Brown Bag Speaker Series with a presentation by Dr. John Farrell, Executive Director of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, and Captain David Murk, Senior Maritime Safety and Security Advisor to the Secretary of Transportation at the U.S. Department of Transportation. The speakers will discuss the environmental impact commercial shipping may have in the Arctic, United States' interests in the Arctic, and the viability of commercial shipping in the region.

 

Association of American Geographers Polar Geography Sessions, April 8-12, 2014 (Tampa, Florida).  Polar Geography Sessions are being planned in areas such as Sustainable Development in the Arctic, Urbanization and Transportation in the Arctic, etc. Contact Scott Stephenson (stephenson@ucla.edu) for more information, and see attached flyer. 

 

Arctic Science Summit Week April 5-8, 2014 and Arctic Observing Summit, April 9-11 (Helsinki, Finland). ASSW is a gathering for Arctic research organizations. Any organization engaged in supporting and facilitating arctic research is welcome to participate. The ASSW meeting in 2014 will be arranged during April 5-8 in Helsinki Kumpula Campus, in the facilities of FMI and Physics Department of the University of Helsinki. Second circular here

 

USARC header

Find us on FacebookFollow us on Twitter 

4350 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 510
Arlington, VA 22203, USA 
(703) 525-0111 (phone)
www.arctic.gov
info@arctic.gov
 
External links in this publication, and on the USARC's World Wide Web site (www.arctic.gov) do not constitute endorsement by the US Arctic Research Commission of external Web sites or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than authorized activities, the USARC does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. These links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this newsletter and the USARC Web site.