Senator Stevens, Alaskan Witnesses Tout Potential of International Polar Year
NEWS CATEGORY: Environment
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September 26, 2006 - WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today co-chaired a joint hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the upcoming International Polar Year (IPY).

IPY, which will take place from March 2007 through March 2009, is an intensive and wide-reaching international polar research effort. Today’s hearing explored the potential benefits of this effort, the government’s role in IPY, and how those involved can help achieve a greater understanding of climatic, environmental, and social challenges in polar regions, including Alaska.

“We have a vested interest, as Alaskans, in the findings of this IPY because many of our people live above the Arctic Circle,” said Senator Stevens, Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee. “The research that will be done, we hope, will enable us to make informed decisions on where we build schools, when and where subsistence hunts take place, and what to do to prepare for winter storms. Most importantly, it will help determine what has to be done to help people who have already been affected by the changes that have taken place so far.”

During the hearing, Senators Stevens and Murkowski heard testimony from a variety of federal officials and research experts who are involved in IPY-related activities. Three of the hearing’s seven witnesses were from Alaska. Each emphasized the potential of IPY scientific and education projects for Alaska, the nation, and the world.

Mead Treadwell, Chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission in Anchorage, told Senators Stevens and Murkowski that Congress would play a key role in the making IPY a success. “We encourage you to have more hearings as IPY progresses,” said Treadwell. “…We encourage you in Congress to visit the field during IPY to see the science firsthand. IPY research will help human health; energy security; safer, sounder homes; and assist in sustaining traditional cultures of the North.”

Dr. Alan Parkinson, Deputy Director of the Arctic Investigation Program Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Anchorage, discussed how IPY would increase visibility and awareness of the health issues facing people in the Arctic. “The IPY presents us with a unique opportunity to focus public and political attention on health concerns of Arctic communities and develop collaborative, international research programs that will address those concerns,” said Dr. Parkinson. “The improvements in health status already achieved by Arctic peoples provide hope that, through concerted effort and clear vision, existing health challenges and disparities can also be overcome. We believe that the U.S. leadership and scientific contributions to the International Polar Year and the Arctic Human Health Initiative are an important step in this direction.”

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Center for Research Service, Dr. Buck Sharpton, outlined how IPY could lead to a greater understanding of environmental changes that affect Alaska. “We are in immediate need of IPY to more fully understand what is happening and why, to be able to reliably forecast events to come, to identify how to hold on to our unique and valuable resources, such as indigenous languages and culture, and learn to make informed decisions to address the multitude of challenges before us,” said Dr. Sharpton.