As the public’s awareness of what could happen next in Arctic waters heightens, a flurry of activity accentuates the hard work ahead.
As you continue to chisel the snow and ice from your driveway during this, one of the most difficult winters on record for many Americans, it may be comforting to know that the ice is still melting in the Arctic. Really. Beyond that, and although the fourth blizzard of the season in the lower 48 may be causing you to change your liberal thinking about global warming, the advent of maritime operations in the polar region is a foregone conclusion. All we are talking about now is how much, how well we control it and what we can quickly put into place in terms of emergency infrastructure to respond to the inevitable casualty that will follow.
Try as you might, the media and our elected officials are just not going to let you bury your head in the snow on this one. Last week, for example, I drew the long straw when NPR reached out to the Maritime Reporter group for analysis and commentary on trans-Arctic shipping and the issues related to all of that. The Marketplace Morning Report sheds a little light into what is happening up there right now, but also cautions listeners that a little action up north may or may not translate into a sustainable business model for shippers hoping to save thousands of miles in transit distance and related time, fuel, and of course – money.
- Senator Begich – Playing both Sides of the Fence
While reading Dennis Bryant’s maritime blog this week, I came upon one of the most interesting coincidences (?) that I’ve seen in quite a while. It seems that Senator Begich (D-AK) has introduced a bill (S. 203) to direct the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to institute research into the special circumstances associated with oil spill prevention and response in Arctic waters, including assessment of impacts on Arctic marine mammals and other wildlife, marine debris research and removal, and risk assessment, and for other purposes. At virtually the same time, Begich introduced another bill (S. 205) to amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to require that oil produced from Federal leases in certain Arctic waters be transported by pipeline to onshore facilities and to provide for the sharing of certain outer Continental Shelf revenues from areas in the Alaska Adjacent Zone.
You have to admire the Senator’s resourcefulness. The Alaska Democrat is preparing for the worst while also getting ready to reap the rewards when and if the oil begins to flow. Maybe we can channel some of that “revenue sharing” from S.205 into the NOAA research program mentioned in S.203. I’m just sayin’.
- The Reality of Arctic Operations meets Open Water – and Little Else
Former U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen last year said, referring to the Arctic situation, “We have to start looking at environmental response, search and rescue, and patrolling in an area that didn’t have water. We’re going to be sending some units up there to test their capabilities at high latitudes next summer because there’s water there and we have responsibilities.”
Also driving U.S. efforts to get ahead of the situation is our Arctic policy, National Security Presidential Directive / Homeland Security Presidential Directive (NSPD/HSPD), signed in January of 2009, reaffirming America’s obligation to protect the Arctic domain, its environment, and those who work and live in it. Referring to the document, Commandant Allen said, “The new policy is recognition of changing conditions in the Arctic region and the implications for our Nation. This directive will guide our current operational activities in the region and guide the allocation of current and future resources to meet mission demands."
Today, Arctic commerce is occurring, perhaps not to the frequency that some envision, but on a scale wide enough to cause concern. That commerce is also taking place well ahead of what should be a robust emergency response infrastructure in the region. Absent that, we need a few icebreakers to maintain order but the ones we do have are out of commission on the U.S. west coast. The timing of NPR’s report is spot on, as was our similar take on the Arctic region in October of last year, on this same WEB site.
I’ve got your attention. A similar focus from the federal government would also be nice. Maybe Senator Begich can wring some sense out of them. Here’s hoping. – MP.
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Joseph Keefe is the lead commentator of MaritimeProfessional.com. Additionally, he is Managing Editor of the new Maritime Professional print magazine. You can also read his work in MarineNews and Maritime Reporter magazines. He can be reached at jkeefe@maritimeprofessional.com or at Keefe@marinelink.com. MaritimeProfessional.com is the largest business networking site devoted to the marine industry. Each day thousands of industry professionals around the world log on to network, connect, and communicate.