II 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1563 

To amend the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to establish 

a United States Ambassador at Large for Arctic Affairs. 

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 Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To amend the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 

1956 to establish a United States Ambassador at Large 

for Arctic Affairs. 

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 ‘‘United States Ambas5 sador at Large for Arctic Affairs Act of 2009’’. 

6 SEC. 2. UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR AT LARGE FOR ARC7 TIC AFFAIRS. 

8 Title I of the State Department Basic Authorities Act 

9 of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2651a et seq.) is amended by adding 

10 at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 63. UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR AT LARGE FOR 

2 ARCTIC AFFAIRS. 

3 ‘‘(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

4 ‘‘(1) the United States is an Arctic nation 

5 with— 

6 ‘‘(A) an approximately 700-mile border on 

7 the Arctic Ocean; 

8 ‘‘(B) more than 100,000,000 acres of land 

9 above the Arctic Circle; and 

10 ‘‘(C) an even broader area defined as Arc11 tic by temperature that includes the Bering Sea 

12 and Aleutian Islands; 

13 ‘‘(2) the Arctic region of the United States— 

14 ‘‘(A) is known to the indigenous population 

15 as Inuvikput, or the ‘place where we live’; 

16 ‘‘(B) is home to an indigenous population 

17 that has subsisted for millennia on the abun18 dance of marine mammals, fish, and wildlife, 

19 many species of which are unique to the Arctic 

20 region; 

21 ‘‘(C) has produced more than 

22 16,000,000,000 barrels of oil, and, according to 

23 the United States Geological Service, holds 

24 30,000,000,000 barrels of oil and 220 trillion 

25 cubic feet of natural gas, making the region 


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1 fundamentally important to the interest of the 

2 United States; 

3 ‘‘(3) since 1959, temperatures in the Arctic re4 gion of the United States have warmed by 3 to 4 de5 grees Celsius, a rate of increase more than twice the 

6 global average; 

7 ‘‘(4) the Arctic ice pack is rapidly diminishing 

8 and thinning, and the National Oceanic and Atmos9 pheric Administration estimates the Arctic Ocean 

10 may be ice free during the summer months in as few 

11 as 30 years; 

12 ‘‘(5) these changes are having a significant im13 pact on the communities and ecosystems of the in14 digenous people of the Arctic, and the marine mam15 mals, fish, and wildlife upon which the indigenous 

16 population depends; 

17 ‘‘(6) these changes are opening new portions of 

18 the Arctic continental shelf of the United States to 

19 possible development for offshore oil and gas, com20 mercial fishing, marine shipping, and tourism; 

21 ‘‘(7) increased industrial development and com22 mercial activity in the Arctic region requires a 

23 heightened diplomatic presence to address important 

24 issues that involve the United States and Pan-Arctic 

25 countries or the Arctic Council; 


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1 ‘‘(8) the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental 

2 forum established in 1996, includes representatives 

3 from Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, 

4 the Russian Federation, Sweden, and the United 

5 States and 6 Permanent Participants who represent 

6 the indigenous peoples of the Arctic; 

7 ‘‘(9) the Arctic Council— 

8 ‘‘(A) is committed to the well-being of the 

9 people who live in the Arctic region; 

10 ‘‘(B) recognizes the special relationship in11 digenous people have with the Arctic region; 

12 ‘‘(C) acknowledges the unique contribu13 tions indigenous communities make to the Arc14 tic region; 

15 ‘‘(D) is committed to sustainable economic 

16 and social development in the Arctic region, im17 proving health conditions in the Arctic region, 

18 and fostering cultural well-being in the Arctic 

19 region; and 

20 ‘‘(E) is committed to protecting the Arctic 

21 environment, including Arctic ecosystems, bio22 diversity in the Arctic region, and the conserva23 tion and sustainable use of Arctic natural re24 sources; 


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1 ‘‘(10) other Arctic countries are pursuing 

2 claims for Arctic seabed resources under the United 

3 Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, signed 

4 at Montego Bay, Jamaica, December 10, 1982; 

5 ‘‘(11) the North Pacific Fishery Management 

6 Council recommends closing commercial fishing op7 erations in the Arctic waters of the United States 

8 until sustainable fishing is scientifically determined, 

9 an action that will only be effective with cooperation 

10 from neighboring Arctic countries; 

11 ‘‘(12) increased commercial activity in the Arc12 tic region raises concerns regarding national secu13 rity, environmental protection, and the cultural and 

14 subsistence needs of indigenous communities; 

15 ‘‘(13) the United States seeks to maintain, and 

16 further develop, a constructive and cordial relation17 ship with the members of the Arctic Council; and 

18 ‘‘(14) the United States has not established an 

19 Ambassador at Large for Arctic Affairs, who would 

20 enhance the ability of the United States to respond 

21 quickly and appropriately to issues of mutual inter22 est to the Arctic Council and Arctic countries gen23 erally. 

24 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 

25 the Department of State an Ambassador at Large for ArcVerDate Nov 24 2008 03:34 Aug 05, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1563.IS S1563

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1 tic Affairs (referred to in this section as the ‘Ambas2 sador’), appointed under subsection (c). 

3 ‘‘(c) APPOINTMENT.—The Ambassador shall be ap4 pointed by the President, by and with the advice and con5 sent of the Senate. 

6 ‘‘(d) DUTIES.— 

7 ‘‘(1) DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATION.—Subject 

8 to the direction of the President and the Secretary 

9 of State, the Ambassador is authorized to represent 

10 the United States in matters and cases relevant to 

11 Arctic affairs in— 

12 ‘‘(A) contacts with foreign governments, 

13 intergovernmental organizations, and special14 ized agencies of the United Nations, the Arctic 

15 Council, and other international organizations 

16 of which the United States is a member; and 

17 ‘‘(B) multilateral conferences and meetings 

18 relating to Arctic affairs. 

19 ‘‘(2) ADVISORY ROLE.—The Ambassador shall 

20 be a principal adviser to the President and the Sec21 retary of State regarding matters affecting Arctic 

22 affairs and shall make recommendations regarding 

23 the policies of the United States relating to Arctic 

24 affairs. 


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1 ‘‘(e) FUNDING.—The Secretary of State shall provide 

2 the Ambassador with such funds as may be necessary to 

3 carry out the duties described in subsection (d).’’. 

Æ 


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