United States Senator Lisa Murkowski

Arctic

Sen. Murkowski is considered the leading expert in the United States Congress on Arctic issues.  She has been actively working to bring attention to the Arctic and highlight the region since becoming a U.S. Senator. Alaska's senior senator is the United States representative to the Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region and recently hosted a Committee meeting in Washington, D.C. Interest in the Arctic continues to grow, primarily due to the impacts of climate change and subsequent loss of seasonal sea ice, as well as increased interest in shipping, energy development and natural resources. The impacts of the changing Arctic are being felt dramatically by the residents who are legitimately concerned about the effects that an ice-diminished Arctic will have on their way of life.  Many of the indigenous people of the region still live a subsistence lifestyle.  Sen. Murkowski is working to ensure that they have a seat at the table and are engaged in the debates about governance and policy in the region in which they live.

Sen. Murkowski has been proactively bringing the issue of Ice Breaker capacity to the attention of the Administration and Congress and was successful in directing an appropriation for federal funds to refurbish the Polar Star, one of the United States' two heavy icebreakers and funding to start the design process for new Polar Class heavy icebreakers.  Sen. Murkowski believes it is imperative that we rebuild and increase our nation's icebreaking capability to meet the increasing need for a greater strategic presence in the Arctic, improved scientific platforms and projected increase in marine activity.

Sen. Murkowski has introduced three Arctic bills in the 111th Congress.  One would implement some of the recommendations of the Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment, including the authorization of a study to determine and develop the necessary infrastructure to support increased Arctic maritime transportation.  The legislation also authorizes the construction of two new heavy icebreakers to replace the aging Polar Sea and Polar Star. A second bill would amend the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act to authorize funding to get data and services to the Arctic for safe navigation, delineate the U.S. extended continental shelf and monitor coastal changes. The third bill would direct the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security to study the feasibility, location and resource needs for an Arctic deep water port. This study would determine whether it is in the strategic interest of the United States to build a port and where it might be located.  A deep water port would not only serve our military and Coast Guard needs, but as we develop our offshore oil and gas reserves and see more shipping, tourism and vessel traffic in the Arctic, a deep water port could provide a crucial base of operations.  Sen. Murkowski is also a strong proponent of ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, believing that it is crucial for the United States to be a party to this Treaty and be a player in the process, rather than an outsider hoping our interests are not damaged. As the only Arctic nation not a party to the treaty, failure to ratify continues to keep the United States at a disadvantage internationally and outside the process, without a seat at the table.