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 Today's Congressional Action:
The House will consider H.R. 3590, the Sportsmen's Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act. H.R. 3590 includes provisions to allow for the importation of certain polar bear trophies and provisions to encourage hunting and fishing on public lands. The Senate will consider H.R. 2642, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act-also know as "the farm bill."
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 There's More Behind Arctic Shipping Than Climate Change. There is a continuing debate about the possible emergence of an 'Arctic shipping boom' in Canada. Recent headlines outline both cargo shippers' plans to increase voyages through the Northwest Passage and an interminable list of risks associated with this possibility, while other stories call for a reality check and for promoters of the so-called boom in Arctic shipping to curb their excitement. In a recently published article in the journal Climate Change, a group of climate change researchers out of the University of Ottawa and Environment Canada analyzed the historic changes in Arctic ship patterns between 1990 and 2012, looking for relationships between reductions in sea ice extent and thickness and increases in ship traffic due to the reduced ice improving access to the region. The Globe and Mail
 Remarks at Munich Security Conference. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke at the Munich Security Conference. Secretary Kerry spoke on a number of topics, including the Arctic. "Next year, the United States will assume responsibility for the Arctic Council, and I can tell you just looking at what's happening in the Arctic - and there are others here who are deeply invested in that - we have enormous challenges. None of them are unsolvable. That's the agony of this moment for all of us. There are answers to all of these things, but there seems to be an absence of will, an absence of collective leadership that's ready to come together and tell our people not what they're necessarily telling us through this crazy social media, incredible confluence of information that they're sort of told they're interested in, but for us as leaders to suggest to them this is what you ought to be interested in because it actually affects your life and your livelihood and your future." Department of State
Development in Yukon's Peel River Watershed Provokes Controversy. Activists gathered last Wednesday in several communities in the Canadian territories of Yukon and Northwest Territories to stage coordinated protests opposing plans to develop the Peel watershed. The Peel Watershed is a wilderness area located in Yukon's northeast. The Yukon government approved the development plan in January. It protects 29 percent of the region, while allowing various levels of land use in the remaining areas. Alaska Dispatch
 Commission Wants Alaska to Have More Influence Over Arctic's Future. After a year of meetings, the Legislature's Arctic Policy Commission is rolling out its strategy for the region. The draft report is over 100 pages, and it offers recommendations on how to manage maritime commerce and resource development in the Arctic, how to improve emergency response, and how to include the state's indigenous population in policy decisions. Rep. Bob Herron, a Bethel Democrat who co-chaired the commission, says having an "Arctic thought process" puts the state on better footing with the federal government when it comes to having a say in policy for the region." Alaska Public Radio
Shell's Arctic Exit Delivers a Blow to Federal Policy Push. Ever since 2008 when Royal Dutch Shell PLC plunked down $2.1 billion for hundreds of oil leases in Alaska's Chukchi Sea, the oil giant has been the motivating force advancing U.S. Arctic policy. But last week, Shell walked away from its role as industry leader in offshore Alaska. Company officials canceled plans to explore for oil this summer in the Chukchi Sea, citing a federal court ruling that invalidated the Interior Department's 2008 leases (EnergyWire, Jan. 24). E&E News
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Legislative Action
Alaska Legislature:
SB 154, Alaska Arctic Port and Development Authority. (Senator and co-chair of the Alaska Arctic Policy Commission introduced a companion bill to the House version. The bill was referred to several Senate committees.)
SJR 17, Arctic Council. (Senator and co-chair of the Alaska Arctic Policy Commission introduced a companion bill to the House version. It was referred to Senate committee.)
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Future Events
The Arctic Encounter Symposium, February 7-8, 2014 (Seattle, Washington). The goal of the Arctic Encounter Symposium is to engage participants in a focused discussion, through a balanced forum, highlighting shared interests and concerns of the United States and the global community as we look north to the last emerging frontier - the Arctic. The Symposium will incorporate a diverse group of leaders and experts to debate how a rapidly changing Arctic will impact international law, domestic policy, business and commerce, the environment, and the people of the Far North. Speakers include policy makers, industry leaders, scientists, and academic experts. The two-day Symposium will take place at Seattle University School of Law with a dinner reception at the Seattle Aquarium on Pier 59. US Arctic Research commissioners Fran Ulmer and Edward Itta will be speaking.
Arctic Technology Conference, February 10-12, 2014 (Houston, TX). Founded in 1969, the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) provides offshore resources in the fields of drilling, exploration, production and environmental protection. The Arctic Technology Conference (ATC) is built upon OTC's successful multidisciplinary approach, with 14 technical societies and organizations. The conference is an international event focused on continuing innovative technologies and solutions needed for exploration and production of energy within the circum-Arctic. Developing Alaska's Marine Workforce, February 14, 2014. (Anchorage, Alaska, USA). The North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) hosts the luncheon. Discussion will focus on industry strategies for moving forward to secure Alaska's future needs for an educated and trained workforce are met. Feature presentations include a recap of NAMEPA's 2012 meeting, University of Alaska updates on the FSMI (Alaska's Fisheries, Seafood, Maritime Initiative) Workforce Development Plan and trends in education and training.
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.
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.
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.
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 ( [email protected]) 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.
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