II 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2147 

To provide for research, monitoring, and observation of the Arctic Ocean 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 1, 2012 

Mr. BEGICH introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To provide for research, monitoring, and observation of the 

Arctic Ocean and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Arctic Ocean Research, 

5 Monitoring, and Observing Act of 2012’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find8 ings: 

9 (1) The United States is an Arctic Nation 

10 with— 


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1 (A) an approximately 700-mile border with 

2 the Arctic Ocean; 

3 (B) more than 100,000,000 acres of land 

4 above the Arctic Circle; and 

5 (C) an even broader area defined as Arctic 

6 by temperature, which includes the Bering Sea 

7 and Aleutian Islands. 

8 (2) The Arctic region of the United States is 

9 home to an indigenous population that has subsisted 

10 for millennia on the abundance in marine mammals, 

11 fish, and wildlife, many of which are unique to the 

12 region. 

13 (3) Temperatures in the United States Arctic 

14 region have warmed by 3 to 4 degrees Celsius over 

15 the past half-century, a rate of increase that is twice 

16 the global average. 

17 (4) The Arctic ice pack is rapidly diminishing 

18 and thinning, and the National Oceanic and Atmos19 pheric Administration estimates the Arctic Ocean 

20 may be ice free during summer months in as few as 

21 30 years. 

22 (5) Such changes to the Arctic region are hav23 ing a significant impact on the indigenous people of 

24 the Arctic, their communities and ecosystems, as 


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1 well as the marine mammals, fish, and wildlife upon 

2 which they depend. 

3 (6) Such changes are opening new portions of 

4 the United States Arctic continental shelf to possible 

5 development for offshore oil and gas, commercial 

6 fishing, marine shipping, and tourism. 

7 (7) Existing Federal research and science advi8 sory programs focused on the environmental and so9 cioeconomic impacts of a changing Arctic Ocean lack 

10 a cohesive, coordinated, and integrated approach and 

11 are not adequately coordinated with State, local, 

12 academic, and private-sector Arctic Ocean research 

13 programs. 

14 (8) The lack of research integration and syn15 thesis of findings of Arctic Ocean research has im16 peded the progress of the United States and inter17 national community in understanding climate change 

18 impacts and feedback mechanisms in the Arctic 

19 Ocean. 

20 (9) An improved scientific understanding of the 

21 changing Arctic Ocean is critical to the development 

22 of appropriate and effective regional, national, and 

23 global climate change adaptation strategies. 

24 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to estab25 lish a permanent environmental sentinel program to conVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:41 Mar 02, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2147.IS S2147

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1 duct research, monitoring, and observation activities in the 

2 Arctic Ocean— 

3 (1) to promote and sustain a productive and re4 silient marine, coastal, and estuarine ecosystem in 

5 the Arctic and the human uses of its natural re6 sources through greater understanding of how the 

7 ecosystem works and monitoring and observation of 

8 its vital signs; and 

9 (2) to track and evaluate the effectiveness of 

10 natural resource management in the Arctic in order 

11 to facilitate improved performance and adaptive 

12 management. 

13 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

14 In this Act: 

15 (1) BOARD.—The term ‘‘Board’’ means the 

16 North Pacific Research Board established under sec17 tion 401(e) of the Department of the Interior and 

18 Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998 (Public 

19 Law 105–1608). 

20 (2) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 

21 means the Arctic Research Commission established 

22 under the Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984 

23 (Public Law 98–373; 15 U.S.C. 4102). 


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1 (3) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘Program’’ means 

2 the Arctic Ocean Research, Monitoring, and Obser3 vation Program established by section 4(a). 

4 SEC. 4. ARCTIC OCEAN RESEARCH, MONITORING, AND OB5 SERVATION PROGRAM. 

6 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established an Arctic 

7 Ocean Research, Monitoring, and Observation Program to 

8 be administered by the Board with input and assistance 

9 from the Commission. 

10 (b) RESEARCH, MONITORING, AND OBSERVATION

11 ACTIVITIES.—The Program shall be an integrated, long12 term scientific research, monitoring, and observation pro13 gram consisting of— 

14 (1) marine, coastal, and estuarine research, in15 cluding— 

16 (A) fisheries research; 

17 (B) research on the structure and function 

18 of the ecosystem and its food webs; and 

19 (C) research on the spatial distributions 

20 and status of fish, wildlife, and other popu21 lations in the Arctic; 

22 (2) marine, coastal, and estuarine ecosystem 

23 monitoring and observation, including expansion of 

24 the Alaska Ocean Observing System in the Arctic; 

25 and 


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1 (3) marine, coastal, and estuarine research, 

2 monitoring, observation, and modeling that supports 

3 planning, environmental review, decisionmaking, 

4 evaluation, impact and natural resources damage as5 sessment, and adaptive management with respect to 

6 industrial and other human activities, such as ship7 ping, in the Arctic, environmental change, and their 

8 interactive and cumulative effects in the Arctic. 

9 (c) INITIAL PROJECTS.—In initiating the Program, 

10 the Board shall make grants under subsection (e)— 

11 (1) to support research and monitoring of Arc12 tic fisheries, including on the distributions and ecol13 ogy of Arctic cod and other forage fishes, for a pe14 riod of not less than 3 years; 

15 (2) to support research and monitoring of Arc16 tic marine mammals, including their responses to 

17 loss of sea ice habitats and reactions to disturbance, 

18 for a period of not less than 3 years; and 

19 (3) to establish the Alaska Ocean Observing 

20 System in the Arctic Ocean such that it has suffi21 cient capacity to provide comprehensive data, 

22 nowcasts and forecasts, and information products in 

23 real time and near real time on physical, chemical, 

24 and biological conditions and environmental change. 

25 (d) ARCTIC OCEAN SCIENCE PLAN.— 


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1 (1) REQUIREMENT.—The Board and the Com2 mission shall jointly prepare a comprehensive, inte3 grated Arctic Ocean science plan. 

4 (2) RECOGNITION AND COORDINATION WITH

5 OTHER SCIENCE.—The content of the plan required 

6 by paragraph (1) shall be developed with recognition 

7 of and in coordination with other science plans and 

8 activities in the Arctic. 

9 (3) INFORMED BY SYNTHESIS OF EXISTING

10 KNOWLEDGE.—Development of the plan required by 

11 paragraph (1) shall be informed by a synthesis of 

12 existing knowledge about the Arctic ecosystem, in13 cluding information about how the ecosystem func14 tions, individual and cumulative sources of eco15 system stress, how the ecosystem is changing, and 

16 other relevant information. 

17 (4) REVIEW.— 

18 (A) INITIAL REVIEW BY NATIONAL RE19 SEARCH COUNCIL.—The Board shall submit the 

20 initial plan required by paragraph (1) to the 

21 National Research Council for review. 

22 (B) PERIODIC REVIEW AND UPDATES.— 

23 Not less frequently than once every 5 years 

24 thereafter, the Board and the Commission shall, 

25 in consultation with the National Research 


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1 Council, review the plan required by paragraph 

2 (1) and update it as the Board and the Com3 mission consider necessary. 

4 (5) USE.—The Board shall use the plan re5 quired by paragraph (1) as a basis for setting prior6 ities and awarding grants under subsection (e). 

7 (e) GRANTS.— 

8 (1) AUTHORITY.—Except as provided in para9 graph (2), the Board shall, under the Program, 

10 award grants to carry out research, monitoring, and 

11 observation activities described in subsections (b) 

12 and (c). 

13 (2) LIMITATION.—The North Pacific Research 

14 Board may not award any grants under paragraph 

15 (1) until the Board has prepared the plan required 

16 by subsection (d)(1). 

17 (3) CONDITIONS, CONSIDERATIONS, AND PRIOR18 ITIES.—When making grants to carry out the re19 search, monitoring, and observation activities de20 scribed in subsections (b) and (c), the Board shall— 

21 (A) consider institutions located in the 

22 Arctic and subarctic; 

23 (B) place a priority on cooperative, inte24 grated long-term projects, designed to address 


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1 current or anticipated marine ecosystem or fish2 ery or wildlife management information needs; 

3 (C) give priority to fully establishing and 

4 operating the Alaska Ocean Observing System 

5 in the Arctic Ocean, which may include future 

6 support for cabled ocean observatories; 

7 (D) recognize the value of local and tradi8 tional ecological knowledge, and, where appro9 priate, place a priority on research, monitoring, 

10 and observation projects that incorporate local 

11 and traditional ecological knowledge; 

12 (E) ensure that research, monitoring, and 

13 observation data collected by grantees of the 

14 Program are made available to the public in a 

15 timely fashion, pursuant to national and inter16 national protocols; and 

17 (F) give due consideration to the annual 

18 recommendations and review of the Commission 

19 carried out under subsection (f). 

20 (f) ANNUAL RECOMMENDATIONS AND REVIEW BY

21 ARCTIC RESEARCH COMMISSION.—Each year, the Com22 mission shall— 

23 (1) recommend ongoing and future research, 

24 monitoring, and observation priorities and strategies 


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1 to be carried out pursuant to subsections (b) and 

2 (c); 

3 (2) undertake a written review of ongoing and 

4 recently concluded research, monitoring, and obser5 vation activities undertaken pursuant to such sub6 sections; and 

7 (3) submit to the Board the recommendations 

8 required by paragraph (1) and the review required 

9 by paragraph (2). 

Æ 


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