II 111th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1562 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.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Arctic Ocean Research and Science Policy Review Act of 2009.

2.

Findings

Congress finds the following: (1)The United States is an Arctic nation with— (A)an approximately 700-mile border with the Arctic Ocean; (B)more than 100,000,000 acres of land above the Arctic Circle; and (C)an even broader area defined as Arctic by temperature which includes the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands. (2)The Arctic region of the United States— (A)is home to an indigenous population which has subsisted for millennia on the abundance in marine mammals, fish, and wildlife, many of which are unique to the region; (B)is known to the indigenous population as Inuvikput or the place where we live; and (C)has produced more than 16,000,000,000 barrels of oil and, according to the United States Geological Survey, may hold an additional 30,000,000,000 barrels of oil and 220,000,000,000,000 cubic feet of natural gas, making the region of fundamental importance to the national interest of the United States. (3)Temperatures in the United States Arctic region have warmed by 3 to 4 degrees Celsius over the past half-century, a rate of increase that is twice the global average. (4)The Arctic ice pack is rapidly diminishing and thinning, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates the Arctic Ocean may be ice free during summer months in as few as 30 years. (5)Such changes to the Arctic region are having a significant impact on the indigenous people of the Arctic, their communities and ecosystems, as well as the marine mammals, fish, and wildlife upon which they depend. (6)Such changes are opening new portions of the United States Arctic continental shelf to possible development for offshore oil and gas, commercial fishing, marine shipping, and tourism. (7)Existing Federal research and science advisory programs focused on the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of a changing Arctic Ocean lack a cohesive, coordinated, and integrated approach and are not adequately coordinated with State, local, and private sector Arctic Ocean research programs. (8)The lack of research integration and synthesis of findings of Arctic Ocean research has impeded the progress of the United States and international community in understanding climate change impacts and feedback mechanisms in the Arctic Ocean. (9)An improved scientific understanding of the changing Arctic Ocean is critical to the development of appropriate and effective regional, national, and global climate change adaptation strategies.

3.

United States Arctic Ocean defined

In this Act, the term United States Arctic Ocean means the United States zone of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas north of Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska.

4.

Study of the United States Arctic Ocean

(a)

Study

Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce shall request that the National Research Council conduct a study on the existing research and research advisory entities of the United States Arctic Ocean. Such study shall— (1)include a review of the breadth, relationship, and overlap of existing research programs and research advisory entities engaged in or advising on United States Arctic Ocean research, including research related to any coastal or atmospheric research of United States Arctic Ocean, including the operating budgets of such entities; (2)assess the gaps in the research and research programs referred to in paragraph (1) and in the coordination, integration, and synthesis of research activities and research data; (3)assess existing scientific information and identify additional information necessary, including local and traditional knowledge, to ensure adequate Federal agency environmental reviews; (4)recommend a comprehensive strategy— (A)to develop priorities for, and coordination, integration, and synthesis of, research and monitoring carried out on United States Arctic Ocean; and (B)to coordinate and integrate such research with pan-Arctic research; and (5)provide a comprehensive, 10- to 20-year long-range United States Arctic Ocean research and monitoring plan with applied emphasis on climate impacts, adaption, including response to coastal inundation issues, resource management, ecosystem function, marine transportation, pollution, ocean acidification, and coastal and offshore oil and gas development, including cold water oil spill response and marine mammal noise issues. (b)

Coordination

The Secretary of Commerce shall consult with the heads of other agencies and departments of the United States with appropriate Arctic science expertise or regulatory responsibilities in preparing the specifications for the study requested under subsection (a).

5.

Reports to Congress

(a)

Requirement for report

Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce shall submit to Congress a report on the study described in section 4(a). Such report shall include— (1)a description of the findings of such study; (2)the recommendations of the National Research Council to improve the coordination, integration, and synthesis of current Arctic research activities and research data; and (3)a prioritized and scalable research plan for the United States Arctic Ocean that is arranged thematically and includes budget estimates for research under such plan. (b)

Interim reports

Not less frequently than once every 180-day period until the report described in subsection (a) is submitted, the Secretary of Commerce shall submit to Congress a report on the progress made to carry out the study described in section 4(a).

6.

Authorization of appropriations

There is authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2010 to carry out this Act.