[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 92 (Wednesday, May 26, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3515-S3516]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 2041. Ms. MURKOWSKI submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
to amendment SA 1502 proposed by Mr. Schumer to the bill S. 1260, to
establish a new Directorate for Technology and Innovation in the
National Science Foundation, to establish a regional technology hub
program, to require a strategy and report on economic security,
science, research, innovation, manufacturing, and job creation, to
establish a critical supply chain resiliency program, and for other
purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
Beginning on page 967, strike line 11 and all that follows
through page 972, line 9, and insert the following:
(d) Appointment.--The President shall appoint, by and with
the consent of the Senate, an Ambassador-at-large for Arctic
Affairs who shall--
(1) be responsible for Arctic affairs; and
(2) report directly to the Secretary of State.
(e) Duties.--The Ambassador-at-large for Arctic Affairs
shall--
(1) facilitate the development and coordination of United
States foreign policy in the Arctic Region relating to--
(A) strengthening institutions for cooperation among the
Arctic nations;
(B) enhancing scientific monitoring and research on local,
regional, and global environmental issues;
(C) protecting the Arctic environment and conserving its
biological resources;
(D) promoting responsible natural resource management and
economic development; and
(E) involving Arctic indigenous people in decisions that
affect them;
(2) coordinate the diplomatic objectives with respect to
the activities described in paragraph (1), and, as
appropriate, represent the United States within multilateral
fora that address international cooperation and foreign
policy matters in the Arctic Region;
(3) help inform, in coordination with the Bureau of
Economic and Business Affairs, transnational commerce and
commercial maritime transit in the Arctic Region;
(4) coordinate the integration of scientific data on the
current and projected effects of emerging environmental
changes on the Arctic Region and ensure that such data is
applied to the development of security strategies for the
Arctic Region;
(5) make available the methods and approaches on the
integration of environmental science and data to other
regional security planning programs in the Department of
State to better ensure that broader decision making processes
may more adequately account for the changing environment;
(6) assist with the development of, and facilitate the
implementation of, an Arctic Region Security Policy in
accordance with subsection (g);
(7) use the voice, vote, and influence of the United States
to encourage other countries and international multilateral
organizations to support the principles of the Arctic Region
Security Policy implemented pursuant to subsection (g);
(8) coordinate Arctic policy with the Bureau of Oceans and
International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, the
Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, and other relevant
bureaus;
(9) subject to the direction of the President and the
Secretary of State, represent the United States with respect
to matters and cases relevant to Arctic affairs in--
(A) contacts with foreign governments, intergovernmental
organizations, and specialized agencies of the United
Nations, the Arctic Council, and other international
organizations of which the United States is a member; and
(B) multilateral conferences and meetings relating to
Arctic affairs;
(10) serve as the principal advisor to the President and
the Secretary of State regarding matters affecting Arctic
affairs;
(11) make recommendations regarding the policies of the
United States relating to Arctic affairs;
(12) assist the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs
with the development and implementation of the Arctic Region
Security Policy pursuant to subsection (g); and
(13) perform such other duties and exercise such powers as
the Secretary of State shall prescribe.
(f) Funding.--The Secretary of State shall provide the
Ambassador-at-large with such funds as may be necessary to
carry out the duties described in subsection (e).
(g) Arctic Region Security Policy.--The Bureau of European
and Eurasian Affairs shall be the lead bureau for developing
and implementing the United States' Arctic Region Security
Policy, in coordination with the Ambassador-at-large for
Arctic Affairs, the Bureau of Oceans and International
Environmental and Scientific Affairs, the Bureau of
Political-Military Affairs, embassies, other regional
bureaus, and relevant offices to advance United States
national security interests, including through conflict
prevention efforts, security assistance, humanitarian
disaster response and prevention, and economic and other
relevant assistance programs. The Arctic Region Security
Policy shall assess, develop, budget for, and implement
plans, policies, and actions--
(1) to bolster the diplomatic presence of the United States
in Arctic nations, including through enhancements to
diplomatic missions and facilities, participation in regional
and bilateral dialogues related to Arctic security, and
coordination of United States initiatives and assistance
programs across agencies to protect the national security of
the United States and its allies and partners;
(2) to enhance the resilience capacities of Arctic nations
to the effects of environmental change and increased civilian
and military activity by Arctic nations and other nations
that may result from increased accessibility of the Arctic
Region;
(3) to assess specific added risks to the Arctic Region and
Arctic nations that--
(A) are vulnerable to the changing Arctic environment; and
(B) are strategically significant to the United States;
(4) to coordinate the integration of environmental change
and national security risk
[[Page S3516]]
and vulnerability assessments into the decision making
process on foreign assistance awards to Greenland;
(5) to advance principles of good governance by encouraging
and cooperating with Arctic nations on collaborative
approaches--
(A) to responsibly manage natural resources in the Arctic
Region;
(B) to share the burden of ensuring maritime safety in the
Arctic Region;
(C) to prevent the escalation of security tensions by
mitigating against the militarization of the Arctic Region;
(D) to develop mutually agreed upon multilateral policies
among Arctic nations on the management of maritime transit
routes through the Arctic Region and work cooperatively on
the transit policies for access to and transit in the Arctic
Region by non-Arctic nations; and
(E) to facilitate the development of Arctic Region Security
Action Plans to ensure stability and public safety in
disaster situations in a humane and responsible fashion; and
(6) to evaluate the vulnerability, security, survivability,
and resiliency of United States interests and non-defense
assets in the Arctic Region.
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