Arctic leadership possibilities

By U.S. Sen. Angus King
(I-Maine)

    In April 1909, a group of Inuit guides shepherded Admiral Robert Peary and Matthew Henson to the North Pole for their final, intrepid assault on the wild lands of the Arctic. Peary, a Bowdoin College graduate, and Henson, the first African-American Arctic explorer, formed an unlikely team that encapsulates the spirit of American adventurism, opportunity, and cooperation.

    As the United States assumes the Chair of the Arctic Council for the next two years, it is important to keep the qualities of these northern pioneers in mind as we explore the prospects of the region and grapple with its warming climate.
    To mark the beginning of a new period of stewardship in the Arctic, I joined Secretary of State John Kerry and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) on April 17th in Iqaluit, Canada, to formally accept America’s Chairmanship of the Arctic Council — an international coalition comprised of Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States that works to protect the unique ecology of the high North and the interests of the Arctic people, while also spurring its economic productivity. As the leading nation of the Council, the United States now has the opportunity to demonstrate responsible governance and management of the region and advance the interests of the United States as well as the people of Maine.
    As our world’s climate warms, so too does the landscape of the Arctic. As a member of the Senate Climate Action Task Force, actively confronting the realities of a warming world is one of my top priorities and that extends into the Arctic. In fact, I recently urged the Department of the Interior to get a better handle on black carbon resulting from offshore drilling in the Arctic and am encouraged by Secretary Kerry’s comments in Iqaluit that mitigating the impacts of climate change will be one of the United States’ highest priorities as Arctic Council Chair.
    Maine’s geographic location makes it the strategic lifeline between these newly available resources and the rest of the eastern seaboard. With the relocation of the Icelandic Steamship company Eimskip to Portland in 2013, Maine is now as closely linked to Scandinavia and Northern Europe as it is to the mid-Atlantic. Because moving freight by water is both safe and cost-efficient and it is the most environmentally friendly form of transportation, Arctic transit will attract businesses to Maine as we continue to develop and modernize accessibility in the region.