II 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1562 

To provide for a study and report on research on the United States Arctic 

Ocean 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 Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To provide for a study and report on research on the United 

States 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 and Science Policy Review Act of 2009’’. 

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) 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— 

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) Existing Federal research and science advi16 sory programs focused on the environmental and so17 cioeconomic impacts of a changing Arctic Ocean lack 

18 a cohesive, coordinated, and integrated approach and 

19 are not adequately coordinated with State, local, and 

20 private sector Arctic Ocean research programs. 

21 (8) The lack of research integration and syn22 thesis of findings of Arctic Ocean research has im23 peded the progress of the United States and inter24 national community in understanding climate change 


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1 impacts and feedback mechanisms in the Arctic 

2 Ocean. 

3 (9) An improved scientific understanding of the 

4 changing Arctic Ocean is critical to the development 

5 of appropriate and effective regional, national, and 

6 global climate change adaptation strategies. 

7 SEC. 3. UNITED STATES ARCTIC OCEAN DEFINED. 

8 In this Act, the term ‘‘United States Arctic Ocean’’ 

9 means the United States zone of the Chukchi and Beau10 fort seas north of Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska. 

11 SEC. 4. STUDY OF THE UNITED STATES ARCTIC OCEAN. 

12 (a) STUDY.—Not later than 120 days after the date 

13 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce 

14 shall request that the National Research Council conduct 

15 a study on the existing research and research advisory en16 tities of the United States Arctic Ocean. Such study 

17 shall— 

18 (1) include a review of the breadth, relation19 ship, and overlap of existing research programs and 

20 research advisory entities engaged in or advising on 

21 United States Arctic Ocean research, including re22 search related to any coastal or atmospheric re23 search of United States Arctic Ocean, including the 

24 operating budgets of such entities; 


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1 (2) assess the gaps in the research and research 

2 programs referred to in paragraph (1) and in the co3 ordination, integration, and synthesis of research ac4 tivities and research data; 

5 (3) assess existing scientific information and 

6 identify additional information necessary, including 

7 local and traditional knowledge, to ensure adequate 

8 Federal agency environmental reviews; 

9 (4) recommend a comprehensive strategy— 

10 (A) to develop priorities for, and coordina11 tion, integration, and synthesis of, research and 

12 monitoring carried out on United States Arctic 

13 Ocean; and 

14 (B) to coordinate and integrate such re15 search with pan-Arctic research; and 

16 (5) provide a comprehensive, 10- to 20-year 

17 long-range United States Arctic Ocean research and 

18 monitoring plan with applied emphasis on climate 

19 impacts, adaption, including response to coastal in20 undation issues, resource management, ecosystem 

21 function, marine transportation, pollution, ocean 

22 acidification, and coastal and offshore oil and gas 

23 development, including cold water oil spill response 

24 and marine mammal noise issues. 


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1 (b) COORDINATION.—The Secretary of Commerce 

2 shall consult with the heads of other agencies and depart3 ments of the United States with appropriate Arctic science 

4 expertise or regulatory responsibilities in preparing the 

5 specifications for the study requested under subsection 

6 (a). 

7 SEC. 5. REPORTS TO CONGRESS. 

8 (a) REQUIREMENT FOR REPORT.—Not later than 18 

9 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

10 Secretary of Commerce shall submit to Congress a report 

11 on the study described in section 4(a). Such report shall 

12 include— 

13 (1) a description of the findings of such study; 

14 (2) the recommendations of the National Re15 search Council to improve the coordination, integra16 tion, and synthesis of current Arctic research activi17 ties and research data; and 

18 (3) a prioritized and scalable research plan for 

19 the United States Arctic Ocean that is arranged the20 matically and includes budget estimates for research 

21 under such plan. 

22 (b) INTERIM REPORTS.—Not less frequently than 

23 once every 180-day period until the report described in 

24 subsection (a) is submitted, the Secretary of Commerce 


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1 shall submit to Congress a report on the progress made 

2 to carry out the study described in section 4(a). 

3 SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

4 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Admin5 istrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin6 istration $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2010 to carry out this 

7 Act. 

Æ 


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