II 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1566 

To create the American Arctic Adaptation Grant Program to prevent or 

mitigate effects of Arctic climate change, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 3, 2009 

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

to the Committee on Environment and Public Works 

A BILL 

To create the American Arctic Adaptation Grant Program 

to prevent or mitigate effects of Arctic climate change, 

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 Climate Adapta5 tion Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) The United States is an Arctic Nation 

9 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) a broader area within the Arctic iso6 therm that encompasses most of the Bering 

7 Sea. 

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

9 (A) is home to an indigenous population 

10 which has subsisted for millennia on the abun11 dance in marine mammals, fish, and wildlife, 

12 many of which are unique to the region; 

13 (B) is known to the indigenous population 

14 as Inuvikput or the ‘‘place where we live’’; and 

15 (C) has produced more than 

16 16,000,000,000 barrels of oil and, according to 

17 the United States Geological Survey, may hold 

18 an additional 30,000,000,000 barrels of oil and 

19 220,000,000,000,000 cubic feet of natural gas, 

20 making the region of fundamental importance 

21 to the national interest of the United States. 

22 (3) Temperatures in the United States Arctic 

23 region have warmed by 3 to 4 degrees Celsius over 

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

25 the global average. 


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1 (4) The Arctic ice pack is rapidly diminishing 

2 and thinning, and the National Oceanic and Atmos3 pheric Administration estimates the Arctic Ocean 

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

5 30 years. 

6 (5) Such changes to the Arctic region are hav7 ing a significant impact on the indigenous people of 

8 the Arctic, their communities and ecosystems, as 

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

10 which they depend. 

11 (6) Such changes are opening new portions of 

12 the United States Arctic continental shelf to possible 

13 development for offshore oil and gas, commercial 

14 fishing, marine shipping, and tourism. 

15 (7) Unprecedented storms over an area of Arc16 tic waters that are now ice-free are eroding sections 

17 of Alaska shoreline at rates of 45 feet or more annu18 ally. Thawing permafrost is causing roads and the 

19 foundations of public buildings and homes to buckle. 

20 Entire Alaskan Arctic villages are at risk of serious 

21 erosion or of being washed into the sea. 

22 (8) As many as 4 of Alaska’s coastal villages 

23 are at immediate risk and will face overwhelming re24 location costs in the during the period from 2009 

25 through 2014 as the lack of winter ice pack allows 


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1 increased wave energy to erode beachfronts that are 

2 no longer held together by frozen soil. The Govern3 ment Accountability Office estimates that relocation 

4 costs for those 4 villages will be $450,000,000 and 

5 that as many as 30 additional Alaskan coastal vil6 lages will face similar threats during the period from 

7 2009 through 2019. 

8 (9) A study conducted by the Government Ac9 countability Office published in June 2009, states 

10 that ‘‘most of Alaska’s more than 200 Native vil11 lages were affected to some degree by flooding and 

12 erosion,’’ and recommends that ‘‘Congress may wish 

13 to consider designating or creating a lead Federal 

14 entity that could work in conjunction with the lead 

15 state agency to coordinate and oversee village reloca16 tion efforts’’. 

17 (10) A 2009 study by the University of Alas18 ka’s Institute for Social and Economic Research 

19 concluded that the added adaptation costs for Alas20 ka’s public infrastructure resulting from climate 

21 change impacts will range up to $6,000,000,000 by 

22 2030. 

23 (11) Coastal erosion and thawing permafrost 

24 threaten the public infrastructure, including airports 

25 which are often the only link to the outside world, 


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1 roadways, and other basic utilities, of many of Alas2 ka’s 267 incorporated communities, with an esti3 mated adaptation cost in the tens of billions of dol4 lars during the several decades following the date of 

5 the enactment of this Act. 

6 (12) Additionally, rising ocean temperatures 

7 and increased ocean acidification result in changes 

8 in fish habitats and invasive fish species jeopardizing 

9 both Alaska’s commercial fisheries, which produce 

10 60 percent of the United States commercial catch, 

11 and the subsistence hunting, fishing, and gathering 

12 that supplies as much as 90 percent of the protein 

13 supply for as many as 214 economically disadvan14 taged Alaskan Native villages from Metlakatla in the 

15 south to Point Barrow in the north. 

16 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

17 In this Act: 

18 (1) DENALI COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Denali 

19 Commission’’ means the Denali Commission estab20 lished pursuant to section 303(a) of the Denali Com21 mission Act of 1998 (42 U.S.C. 3121 note). 

22 (2) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘Program’’ means 

23 the American Arctic Adaptation Grant Program es24 tablished under section 4(a). 


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1 SEC. 4. AMERICAN ARCTIC ADAPTATION GRANT PROGRAM. 

2 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is a established in the 

3 Department of Commerce a program to be known as the 

4 ‘‘American Arctic Adaptation Grant Program’’ to award 

5 grants to eligible entities to carry out eligible projects, as 

6 described in this section. 

7 (b) COORDINATION.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Denali Commission 

9 shall— 

10 (A) be the Alaska Project Coordinator for 

11 the Program; and 

12 (B) select, administer, and coordinate 

13 projects awarded grants under the Program. 

14 (2) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out its re15 sponsibilities as the Alaska Project Coordinator, the 

16 Denali Commission shall consult with affected com17 munities, the State of Alaska, the United States 

18 Army Corps of Engineers, the University of Alaska, 

19 the Arctic Research Commission established pursu20 ant to section 103 of the Arctic Research and Policy 

21 Act of 1984 (15 U.S.C. 4102), and the Inuit Cir22 cumpolar Council and the Northern Forum or suc23 cessor organizations. 

24 (3) ADAPTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE.— 

25 (A) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Denali Com26 mission shall establish an Adaptation Advisory 


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1 Committee composed of public and private 

2 members to advise the Denali Commission on 

3 climate adaptation needs and investments and 

4 on the award of grants under the Program. 

5 (B) MEMBERSHIP.—The Adaptation Advi6 sory Committee shall include one representative 

7 of each of the following: 

8 (i) The Alaska Federation of Natives. 

9 (ii) The Inter-Tribal Council. 

10 (iii) The Alaska Native Science and 

11 Engineering Program of the University of 

12 Alaska. 

13 (iv) The Alaska Associated General 

14 Contractors Association. 

15 (v) The Alaska Department of Trans16 portation. 

17 (vi) The Alaska Department of Com18 merce, Community, and Economic Devel19 opment. 

20 (vii) The United States Army Corps 

21 of Engineers. 

22 (viii) Organized labor. 

23 (C) MEETINGS.—The Denali Commission 

24 shall meet with the Adaptation Advisory ComVerDate Nov 24 2008 03:35 Aug 05, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1566.IS S1566

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1 mission not less often than once every 6 

2 months. 

3 (c) OTHER FUNDS FOR GRANT AWARDS.—To the ex4 tent practicable and appropriate, the Denali Commission 

5 may combine funds from the Program with awards from 

6 other appropriate Federal or State infrastructure develop7 ment, construction, or maintenance programs to provide 

8 funds to carry out an eligible project. 

9 (d) ELIGIBLE ENTITY DEFINED.—In this section, 

10 the term ‘‘eligible entity’’ means— 

11 (1) the State of Alaska; or 

12 (2) a borough and community organized under 

13 the Constitution of the State of Alaska. 

14 (e) ELIGIBLE PROJECT DEFINED.—In this section, 

15 the term ‘‘eligible project’’ means a project to repair, re16 place, or maintain an element of public infrastructure in 

17 a coastal or remote Alaskan village damaged or threatened 

18 by the effects of climate change, including flooding, storm 

19 surge, coastal or riparian erosion, melting permafrost, and 

20 land subsidence not associated with normal seasonal ef21 fects. An eligible project— 

22 (1) may be designed to address— 

23 (A) damage to a public transportation sys24 tem and infrastructure or to a public or pri25 vately owned building; 


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1 (B) negative impacts to human health; 

2 (C) interruption of natural migration cy3 cles or disruption of habitats; or 

4 (D) disruption of economic activities, in5 cluding projects to develop new northern sea 

6 routes; and 

7 (2) shall be of a permanent nature, and de8 signed, built, and maintained to maximize sustain9 ability and resiliency. 

10 (f) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity seeking a grant 

11 under the Program shall submit an application to the 

12 Denali Commission at such time and in such manner as 

13 the Commission shall require. Each such application shall, 

14 at a minimum, include a complete description of— 

15 (1) the eligible project proposed to be carried 

16 out with such grant; and 

17 (2) the extent to which one or more effects of 

18 climate change have necessitated, or given ongoing 

19 and cumulative effects could necessitate, such eligi20 ble project. 

21 (g) SELECTION CRITERIA.—In selecting an eligible 

22 project to be carried out with a grant under the Program, 

23 the Denali Commission— 

24 (1) may select the eligible project only if the eli25 gible entity agrees— 


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1 (A) to submit to a directed process in 

2 which the staff of the Denali Commission pro3 vides technical assistance and guidance through 

4 the planning phase, design phase, and construc5 tion phase of the eligible project; and 

6 (B) that not more than 25 percent of the 

7 grant funds may be used for administrative ex8 penses; and 

9 (2) shall give a preference to an eligible project 

10 that will be carried out with non-Federal funds to 

11 match the amount of the grant funds. 

12 (h) WORK PLAN.—The Denali Commission shall pub13 lish an annual work plan for the Program. Each such plan 

14 shall include— 

15 (1) a description of each eligible project ap16 proved to receive a grant under the Program during 

17 the previous year; 

18 (2) updates on the planning, design, and con19 struction of each eligible project approved to receive 

20 such a grant in a prior year; and 

21 (3) guidance to eligible entities seeking to ob22 tain such a grant for the following year. 

23 SEC. 5. ARCTIC RESEARCH. 

24 (a) REQUIREMENT TO CONDUCT RESEARCH.—Dur25 ing fiscal year 2010, and in collaboration with the State 


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1 of Alaska, the University of Alaska, and relevant agencies 

2 of the United States, the Denali Commission shall conduct 

3 research on the best practices for climate related adaption 

4 that are being used or researched by other polar nations 

5 or foreign or domestic research institutions or institutions 

6 of higher learning, and which could be used by Arctic com7 munities in Alaska. Such research shall focus on— 

8 (1) environmentally sensitive design; 

9 (2) clean energy alternatives; and 

10 (3) innovative transportation, telecommunica11 tions, and other infrastructure solutions. 

12 (b) REPORT.—Not later than December 31, 2010, 

13 the Denali Commission shall submit to Congress, the Sec14 retary of Commerce, the Secretary of the Treasury, the 

15 Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works), and the 

16 Governor of Alaska a report on the research carried out 

17 under subsection (a). 

18 SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

19 (a) AMERICAN ARCTIC ADAPTATION GRANT PRO20 GRAM.—There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec21 retary of Commerce such sums as may be necessary to 

22 carry out the Program. 


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1 (b) RESEARCH.—There is authorized to be appro2 priated $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2010 to carry out sec3 tion 5. 

Æ 


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