Arctic Awareness Observations -- Mr. Jay Reich, Department of Commerce

Meeting with Shismaref leaders
Originally uploaded by uscgpress

Guest post by Mr. Jay Reich (pictured in blue hat), Deputy Chief of Staff for the Department of Commerce.

Much has been written about the stresses of Arctic life based on climatic and weather extremes and physical isolation. We also know of the inherent tensions between the exploitation of the rich mineral and oil/gas deposits in the Arctic and the natural ecosystems and indigenous populations of this region who have relied on wildlife for subsistence. These stresses and tensions are exacerbated by climate change.

Our Coast Guard sponsored trip to Alaska to observe this phenomenon and to listen to those affected brought this home. It also raised significant policy questions about how we can as a nation respond to these challenges.

There is enormous uncertainty as to the scope and speed with which the climate is changing, what the affects of such change will be on the ecosystems of the Arctic and what strategies provide the greatest likelihood of successful adaptation. The melting of polar ice increases ocean swells and the erosion of the seacoast. The expansion of navigable waters is likely to increase shipping, access to mineral and oil reserves and competition with other nations. The warming oceans will change fish migration patterns if not the survivability of some species. The cost of protecting the environment and sustaining the existence of isolated coastal villages is enormous if not prohibitive. The responsibility for dealing with these complex and overlapping issues involves various departments of both state and federal government and particularly affects native peoples and a wide range of industries and interest groups. In short, we face a complex problem and the need for better understanding, a coherent approach, a coordinated response and the resources to implement adaptive strategies.

Surrounding the extraordinary beauty and vastness of the Arctic, are a host of issues that require immediate attention. They also require the patience to make informed decisions of lasting importance based on science, cultural sensitivity and national policy.

Arctic Awareness Trip Synopsis

Saturday, the Interagency Arctic Awareness Trip and Ocean Policy Task Force members returned to Washington D.C. It was a very busy and informative week of travel in the U.S. Arctic region and State of Alaska. In the near future we will share some of our perspectives and vision going forward. In the meantime, below is a synopsis of our activities via blog, photos, videos and tweets, as well as some news clips.

Blogs (Newest to oldest):
--First public meeting of the Ocean Policy Task Force
--Working lunch with Eskimo Elders and Leaders
--Commerce Secretary Approves Arctic Fisheries Plan
--Arctic Presence Senate Field Hearing
--NOAA WOCE Buoy Deployment
--Native Appreciation in Nome (Here and Here).
--Arctic Domain Awareness Flight
--Shismaref Seawall Construction
-- Travel Party Enroute Nome
--Arctic Weblinks
--Follow the Interagency Arctic Awareness Trip

Photo Sets:
--Nome and Shismaref
--Arctic Domain Awareness Flight
--Barrow
--Deadhorse and Prudhoe Bay
--OPTF Public Meeting

Video Posts:
Nome Arctic Awareness Press Conference


Arctic Awareness Observations, Dep. Sec. David Hayes, DOI


NOAA Buoy Deployment


OPTF Public Meeting Press Conference (Part 1)


OPTF Public Meeting Press Conference (Part 2)


Twitter Tweets:
OPTFArctic
iCommandantUSCG

News Clips:
Obama's Task Force Comes to Alaska (Anchorage Daily News)
Alaska Weighs in on New Federal Oceans Policy (LA Times)
Federal Task Force Wraps up Weeklong Tour of Alaska (KTUU)
Obama's Task Force on Ocean Policy Comes to Alaska (Newsday)
U.S. Closes parts of Arctic to Commercial Fishing (CS Monitor)
Coast Guard assists international science community to study Arctic ice, ocean behavior in Alaska (AlaskaReport)
Sen. Murkowski Collects Testimony on Arctic (AP)
Crossroads Operation Highlights Challenges of Northwest Alaska (Kodiak Daily Mirror)
Arctic Holds both Promise and Challenges (Alaska Dispatch)
Coast Guard Training on Bearing Sea Coast (Alaska Superstation ABC)

Ocean Policy Task Force Anchorage Public Meeting Press Event

Marine Spatial Planning

Shipmates,

If you followed our posts this last week you will have seen a focus on Arctic issues. However, the larger context of the trip and our meetings was the President?s Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force. As the Department of Homeland Security's representative on this Task Force I have attended several meetings in Washington chaired by Ms. Nancy Sutley who also chairs the President?s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).

The Task Force has three near term deliverables for the President: (1) a National Oceans Policy, (2) a governance structure for ocean issues, and (3) an implementation plan to implement the policy.

The purpose of this post is to begin to acquaint you with a longer term deliverable under the President?s tasking; that is 'Marine Spatial Planning.' MSP is a concept that has been developing in the last decade and focus on an integrated approach to how we use our oceans.

There are several definitions of MSP and an Internet query will yield numerous sites where the term is defined and discussed.

I pulled this definition from Wikipedia:

'Marine Spatial Planning is a planning tool that enables integrated, forward-looking and consistent decision-making on the use of the sea. The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in the United Kingdom have developed a commonly used definition:

'Strategic, forward-looking planning for regulating, managing and protecting the marine environment, including through allocation of space, that addresses the multiple, cumulative, and potentially conflicting uses of the sea'

The main elements of marine spatial planning include an interlinked system of plans, policies and regulations; the components of environmental management systems (e.g. setting objectives, initial assessment, implementation, monitoring, audit and review); and some of the many tools that are already used for land use planning. Whatever the building blocks, the essential consideration is that they need to work across sectors and give a geographic context in which to make decisions about the use of resources, development, conservation and the management of activities in the marine environment.'

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) has a shorter version:
?'Marine spatial planning is a public process of analyzing and allocating the spatial and temporal distribution of human activities in marine areas to achieve ecological, economic and social objectives that have been specified through a political process.'

On the plane ride back to Washington I was surveying the broad spectrum of activities that the Coast Guard carries out in the marine environment. All of them relate to the concept of marine spatial planning including waterways management, aids to navigation, living marine resources enforcement activities, offshore oil and gas exploration and production, and renewable energy.

As the Nation considers this concept and its application to our oceans the Coast Guard will be part of the conversation and the evolution of its application. One of our strong partners in the past has been the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Throughout the last week NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco and I had the opportunity to talk about the many missions we execute jointly ? and with others. We have made a commitment to continue our close coordination and collaboration as the Task Force moves forward. The photo of the two of us attached to this post was taken at Shismareff, a coastal town subject to erosion.

I invite you to learn more about Marine Spatial Planning.

ADM A

Updated: Members of the OPTF at the first public meeting in Anchorage Alaska

UPDATE: You can read the Anchorage Daily News' coverage.

Members of the OPTF at the first public meeting in Anchorage Alaska
Originally uploaded by uscgpress

Shipmates

We had a large turn out at today's Interagency Task Force on Ocean Policy public meeting in Anchorage. I would estimate between 300 and 350 people attended.

We heard from several panels and took questions from the floor. Over 60 people spoke at the meeting which lasted over 3 1/2 hours.

There were diverse opinions from various stakeholders, citizens, corporations, non governmental organizations, tribal leaders, academicians, and local government representatives.

The results of the meeting will be made available to the public once it is collated. We will be posting more on the issues raised at the meeting,

ADM A

Working lunch with Eskimo elders and leaders: Mayor Edward Itta (and whaling captain)

Working lunch with Eskimo elders and leaders: Mayor Edward Itta (and whaling captain)
Originally uploaded by uscgpress

Shipmates,

During our stay at Barrow, we participated in a working lunch hosted by the Eskimo Elders and local leaders of the North Slope Borough, Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission, and others.

The facilitator was our old friend Mayor Edward Itta. Mayor Itta is a former Navy "Tin Can" sailor and a Whaling Captain.

We have learned much from our friends who engage in subsistence hunting north of the Bering Strait. As a result, we have been able to deploy in the summer without disrupting their traditional activities. Point Barrow is unique in that it is the dividing point between the Chukchi Sea and the Beaufort Sea.

The main resource that is hunted here is the Bowhead whale. The spring hunt, which is from the ice, takes place in the Chukchi Sea when the whales are migrating east and north along the Alaska/Canadian coastlines. The fall hunt takes place from land launched small boats in the Beaufort Sea while the whales are migrating west and south.

The intersection of these subsistence hunting activities and other uses of the continental shelf (i.e. oil exploration and production) were the subject of many discussions during our trip.

Later in the day, Dr. Lubchenco and I held a separate meeting with the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission regarding these intersecting activities.

The meetings were indicative of the entire trip as we are learning more at each stop.

These discussions were followed by a trip to the Prudhoe Bay production site that is managed by BP for BP, Conoco-Phillips, and Exxon Mobile. This is the site where the Trans-Alaska Pipeline begins (the southern terminal is Valdez).

ADM A

Commerce Secretary Approves Arctic Fisheries Management Plan

This is a wise proactive measure to ensure that we find the right balance between the environment and economics for a healthy and sustainable Arctic region.

This has been a regular topic of discussion between Dr. Lubchenco (NOAA), Admiral Allen, and Jay Reich (Commerce Deputy Chief of Staff) throughout the Arctic Awareness trip

From the Coast Guard perspective, this policy requires enforcement, which will be better informed by our ongoing seasonal operations and requirements studies.

Commandant's Eye View of NOAA Buoy Drop

Shipmates,

Here's the view I had of the NOAA buoy drop from the C130. I was attached on the ramp to a gunner's belt as was Dr. Lubchenco ... a great view. If you wait until the end of the clip you will see the smoke flares that were dropped on the first run to mark the drop site

ADM A

Update: Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security -- Arctic Presence Field Hearing

Updated: You can read some coverage of the hearing here.

Written testimony for today's Senate Appropriation's Subcommittee on Homeland Security on the Coast Guard's Arctic presence available here:

/ArcticPresenceTestimony.doc

Tweets from the hearing (newest to oldest):

Sen. Murkowski: Most in the U.S. do not think of our nation as an Arctic nation.

? from Senator Murkowski about Healy's support to Extended Continental Shelf Project http://ow.ly/kMyU

Several Arctic Awareness blogs this week at http://ow.ly/kMye

View pictures from the interagency Arctic Awareness trip from this week http://ow.ly/kMxI

Extraordinary work being done in Nome by Mayor Michels.

Sen. Murkowski: Existing operational infrastructure in Arctic region is limited at best, and non-existent in some areas.

What we need to do is build a balanced set of requirements based on our greater awareness of what is going on in the Arctic.

Hope to start putting our resource requirements document for Arctic operations in about the next 6 months.

Our small boats don't operate well off the North Slope, we have things to learn from the traditional Eskimos there and are doing that.

Provided overview of Operation Arctic Crossroads. http://ow.ly/kMvo

Sen. Murkowski appreciates Gov. Parnell pointing out need for Senate to ratify the Law of the Sea Treaty.

Gov. Parnell supports ratification of the Law of the Sea Treaty.

Gov. Parnell: "The Arctic literally needs to be put on the map." We need updated and accurate maps, both land and sea.

Alaska's Governor Parnell says, "Alaska is America's Arctic Guardian...and requires additional Coast Guard presence."

NOAA WOCE Buoy Deployed in the Arctic Ocean

Shipmates

Dr. Jane Lubchenco (NOAA Administrator) and I participated in the deployment of a NOAA World ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) buoy from a Coast Guard C-130 Wednesday during an Arctic Domain Awareness flight. This is the first buoy of this kind deployed north of the Bering Sea. Below is a video of the buoy's actual deployment north of Point Barrow which is the dividing point between the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. You can read more about its significance here.

ADM A