IV 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 199
Supporting the goals and ideals of the International Polar Year. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 30, 2005
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida submitted the following concurrent resolution; which 
was referred to the Committee on Science 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Supporting the goals and ideals of the International Polar 
Year.
Whereas the International Polar Year is a year-long research 
initiative dedicated to the concentrated study of Earth’s 
Polar Regions; 
Whereas the Polar Regions are active ecosystems that hold 
unique information on the past behavior of the Earth 
system; 
Whereas the Polar Regions have grown in economic and geo-
political importance, especially the Arctic; 
Whereas the harsh conditions and remoteness of the Polar 
Regions make scientific study of the regions more dif-
ficult than in other areas on Earth;
•HCON 199 IH 
Whereas the Polar Regions are the darkest place on Earth, 
and therefore offer a unique vantage point for cosmic 
phenomena; 
Whereas the Polar Regions are highly sensitive to climate 
change, as evidenced by the fact that the three fastest 
warming regions on the planet in the last 2 decades have 
been Alaska, Siberia, and parts of the Antarctic Penin-
sula, raising real concern for the future of polar eco-
systems; 
Whereas there is a need to re-establish and enhance oper-
ational observing systems in the Polar Regions to capture 
contemporary information on change; 
Whereas recently developed technologies are able to offer new 
and innovative methods to further study climactic 
changes; 
Whereas the International Polar Year will give scientists a 
defined period polar ‘‘snapshot’’ and provide a crucial 
benchmark for detecting and understanding change in 
comparison with past and future data sets; 
Whereas the timescale allows advances in technology and lo-
gistics to be exploited to address new issues and access 
new areas; 
Whereas the International Polar Year provides an oppor-
tunity for observations in Polar Regions throughout all 
seasons; 
Whereas an intensive, coordinated burst of effort will accel-
erate advances in geological knowledge and under-
standing; 
Whereas 3 such initiatives within the scientific community 
over the past 125 years have yielded unprecedented ex-
ploration and discoveries in many fields of research and
•HCON 199 IH 
fundamentally changed how science was conducted in the 
Polar Regions; 
Whereas the legacy of enhanced observing systems generated 
by the International Polar Year will provide an improved 
foundation for ongoing monitoring; 
Whereas an International Polar Year from 2007–2008 pre-
sents a unique opportunity to educate and engage a new 
generation of young Earth System scientists; 
Whereas we still remain remarkably ignorant of many aspects 
of how polar climate operates and its interaction with 
polar environments, ecosystems, and societies; and 
Whereas to have any hope of understanding the current and 
future global climate, the scientific community needs an 
enhanced picture of conditions at the poles and how they 
interact with and influence the oceans, atmosphere, and 
land masses; Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress—
(1) recognizes that encouraging and supporting 
International Polar Year is not only beneficial but 
crucial to our understanding of the Earth’s environ-
ment; and 
(2) encourages the United States to support 
funding and research for the International Polar 
Year and of the Polar Regions.
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