Arctic Report March 17, 2017

Climate Change and the Corporate Interest: Catherine McKenna – Center for Strategic and International Studies
Roundtable Discussion – Infrastructure in Indian Country – Senate Indian Affairs Committee
Oversight Hearing Examining the Creation and Management of Marine Monuments and Sanctuaries – House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Power, and Oceans
Oversight Hearing on Identifying Innovate Infrastructure Ideas for the National Park Service and Forest Service – House Committee on

Arctic Report January 25, 2017

U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) spoke about the new Defense Department Arctic Strategy at CSIS on Jan. 24. The unclassified version has yet to be released, but the Senator talked the audience through much of its content.
The FY16 National Defense Authorization Act required the Department of Defense to write a new Arctic military defense plan in part to respond to recent Russian activity in the region.

Arctic Report November 30, 2016

Speaking at ARCUS in Washington, D.C. about rapid sea-ice changes in the Arctic, Dr. Hajo Eicken said the region is now the scene of increased uncertainty, poses higher risks for users, and will see greater impacts on its local communities, especially from increased maritime activity.
He stressed the importance of prediction networks, which can work from a variety of time scales ranging from a week or less to several months.

Arctic Report September 27, 2016

The Arctic Research Consortium of the United States hosted a panel discussion open to the public in conjunction with the Arctic Science Ministerial. The panel focused on citizen engagement and education about Arctic research and research improvements.

Arctic Report September 7, 2016

The House subcommittees for Coast Guard & Marine Transportation and Water Resources & Environment held a joint hearing on Sept. 7 to discuss the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, and U.S. Coast Guard maritime navigation programs and initiatives.
The hearing focused on charting, accurate navigational aids, and the potential rise of “e-navigation.” New electronic navigation technologies could change maritime transportation functions dramatically, and also pose new risks to the system.

Arctic Report August 4, 2016

Susan “Sudie” Hargis, Tribal Liaison for the U.S. Coast Guard’s 17th District (Alaska), spoke about tribal relations in Alaska—relating specifically to incident response, search and rescue, and subsistence hunting—as part of a speaker series sponsored by the Committee on Marine Transportation System in Washington D.C. on Aug. 4.
Hargis described the history and complex nature of government-tribal relations in Alaska.

Arctic Report July 20, 2016

The North Slope Borough Oil & Gas Forum provided the borough, the oil industry, and government regulators with an opportunity to have informed and facilitated conversations about how to achieve mutual priorities while far north petroleum projects are developed. 
The borough hosted the forum in Anchorage on July 20-22 and invited a wide range of individuals to both speak at the event and participate in the breakout sessions.  The format was for the speakers to present information about forum topics and then have breakout sessions to explore them in more detail. 

Arctic Report July 13, 2016

Policy leaders, tech industry experts and other executives met to discuss the critical need for high-speed broadband across the circumpolar Arctic at the Top of the World Arctic Broadband Summit in Barrow, Alaska in July.
The summit included presentations ranging from the government’s role in broadband development and expansion to the latest news about the Quintillion Subsea Cable Project, in which the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC) is a minority partner.