[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 65 (Friday, April 3, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19031-19032]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-07040]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Request for Information--Interagency Arctic Research Policy 
Committee, Chaired by the National Science Foundation

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Request for information.

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SUMMARY: The Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC), 
chaired by the National Science Foundation, seeks public input on the 
content and organization of the next 5-year Arctic Research Plan: 2022-
2026.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted no later than July 2, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Email comments to [email protected]. Send written 
submissions to Roberto Delgado, Office of Polar Programs, National 
Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22314.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact Meredith LaValley at 940-733-5675.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    The Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) is 
initiating development of the next Arctic Research Plan, as called for 
in the Arctic Research Policy Act (ARPA) of 1984 (15 U.S.C. 4108). The 
Plan aims to strengthen interagency communication, coordination, and 
collaboration of the 14 Federal agencies, departments and offices that 
make up IARPC. The Plan will address critical needs in Arctic research 
and identify those areas where research in the Arctic can be improved 
through interagency collaboration. More information is available at 
https://www.iarpccollaborations.org/arctic-research-plan-2022-2026.html.

About IARPC

    IARPC is chartered as a subcommittee under the National Science and 
Technology Council (NSTC) managed by the Office of Science and 
Technology Policy (OSTP) in the Executive Office of the President. The 
Arctic Research Policy Act of 1984 (ARPA) provides for a comprehensive 
national policy dealing with national research needs and objectives in 
the Arctic. The ARPA established an Arctic Research Commission (ARC) 
and an Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC), to 
implement the Act. IARPC was formally created by Executive Order 12501 
and with the Director of the National Science Foundation serving as 
Chair.
    IARPC is charged with enhancing both the scientific monitoring of 
and research on local, regional, and global environmental issues in the 
Arctic. To meet the Nation's economic, scientific, and environmental 
needs, IARPC envisions a prosperous, sustainable and healthy Arctic 
realized through research coordinated among Federal agencies and 
domestic and international collaborators.

About the Arctic Research Plan

    IARPC is required by law to prepare and execute a 5-year Arctic 
Research Plan, which helps to coordinate the overall Federal effort in 
Arctic research. To address the interests and needs of all, IARPC works 
in partnership with representatives from local communities, Indigenous 
Peoples, the State of Alaska, the private sector, non-governmental 
organizations, research institutions, and the academic community. To 
date, two research Plans have been released and implemented. The 
current Plan, ``Arctic Research Plan 2017-2021,'' has four policy 
drivers and nine research goals (see below). The current Plan is being 
implemented by nine collaboration teams which are co-led by program 
managers and researchers from IARPC agencies and individuals from the 
research community and Alaska Native partners.
    In September 2019, the IARPC Principals approved the development of 
the next Arctic Research Plan, covering the period of 2022-2026, with a 
planned release date at the end of calendar year 2021.
    Plans reflect the goals and missions of the Federal agencies 
supporting research in the Arctic and are developed in coordination 
with the goals and objectives set out by the Arctic Research 
Commission. Arctic Research Plans focus on research which will be 
enhanced through collaboration among Federal agencies. The new Arctic 
Research Plan will provide a blueprint for effective Federal 
coordination of Arctic research for the period 2022-2026, positioning 
the United States to remain a global leader in Arctic research and 
stewardship for many years to come.

Seeking Input

    As called for in the ARPA, IARPC seeks input to ensure that the 
research interests and needs of all are addressed appropriately in the 
new Plan. Input is sought from any interested individuals and 
organizations, and IARPC is committed to an open and equitable 
engagement process throughout the development of the Plan. A second 
Federal Register Notice, seeking input from interested individuals and 
organizations, will be posted when a draft of the new Arctic Research 
Plan is ready in 2021.
    IARPC is soliciting input on:
    1. Content of the Plan: The critical issues where Federally-funded 
science and engineering research can provide knowledge to promote good 
decision-making at all levels related to the Arctic.
    2. Organization of the Plan: The structure of the Arctic Research 
Plan and how it might be updated to better meet and communicate the 
science needs and plans for the Arctic.
    The current Plan ``Arctic Research Plan 2017-2021'' has four policy 
drivers and nine research goals.
    The policy drivers for the Arctic Research Plan FY2017-2021 are:
     Enhance the well-being of Arctic residents;
     Advance stewardship of the Arctic environment;
     Strengthen national and regional security; and
     Improve understanding of the Arctic as a component of 
planet Earth.
    The 9 goals of the Arctic Research Plan FY2017-2021 are:
     Enhance understanding of health determinants and improve 
the well-being of Arctic residents;
     Advance process and system understanding of the changing 
Arctic

[[Page 19032]]

atmospheric composition and dynamics and the resulting changes to 
surface energy budgets;
     Enhance understanding and improve predictions of the 
changing Arctic sea ice cover;
     Increase understanding of the structure and function of 
Arctic marine ecosystems and their role in the climate system and 
advance predictive capabilities;
     Understand and project the mass balance of glaciers, ice 
caps, and the Greenland Ice Sheet, and their consequences for sea level 
rise;
     Advance understanding of processes controlling permafrost 
dynamics and the impacts on ecosystems, infrastructure, and climate 
feedbacks;
     Advance an integrated, landscape-scale understanding of 
Arctic terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems and the potential for 
future change;
     Strengthen coastal community resilience and advance 
stewardship of coastal natural and cultural resources by engaging in 
research related to the interconnections of people, and natural and 
built environments; and
     Enhance frameworks for environmental intelligence 
gathering, interpretation, and application toward decision support.
    For the full Arctic Research Plan 2017-2021, see: https://www.iarpccollaborations.org/download.axd?file=iarpc_arctic_research_plan_2017-2021.pdf.
    For the full Arctic Research Plan 2013-2017, see: https://www.iarpccollaborations.org/uploads/cms/documents/2013_arctic_research_plan.pdf.
    For details on the conduct of research we aim to support in the new 
Plan, see the Principles for Conducting Research in the Arctic: https://www.iarpccollaborations.org/uploads/cms/documents/principles_for_conducting_research_in_the_arctic_final_2018.pdf.

    Dated: March 31, 2020.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2020-07040 Filed 4-2-20; 8:45 am]
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