As the nation's capital tried to dig its way out of snow left from a pair of storms, US Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alas.) leveled a blast at the Obama administration for not moving more aggressively on establishing a strong US arctic strategy.
Noting that the White House recently released its implementation plan for such a strategy, Murkowski said on Feb. 11 that it did not make the US a leader there, as the country prepares to chair the Arctic Council in 2015, nor suggest that the Arctic is a national priority.
"Instead, the plan provides a snapshot of existing Arctic-related programs and projects with numerous assessments to be undertaken, but no real path of action," she continued in a letter to US President Barack Obama.
"'Implementation plan' is a misnomer for a document that simply pushes our involvement in the Arctic down the road and does nothing to advance our already lagging role in the region," Murkowski declared.
Russia and Canada both have aggressive national Arctic plans, to develop resources and advance commerce in their far northern regions, while non-Arctic nations are embracing improved transit opportunities from melting polar sea ice to move ahead with similar opportunities, she told the president.
The US could squander a tremendous opportunity "with a plan that focuses on assessments and studies, maintains a rather meager status quo, and takes resource development off the table" without "forward-leaning leadership, concrete action and the financial and personnel resources to make the Arctic a national priority," Murkowski warned.
Kerry responds
Three days later, US Secretary of State John F. Kerry notified her of his plans to name "a high-level individual of substantial stature and expertise" to be special US representative for the Arctic region.
"Properly managed, this region provides an opportunity for creative diplomatic relationship—but truly establishing and capitalizing on this relationship will require making the Arctic region a higher US priority; greater attention paid by US policymakers; and, in keeping with President Obama's call for 'national unity of effort' on the Arctic, coordination of operational efforts," he told Murkowski in a letter.
Murkowski said that while she welcomed the news, she questioned whether having a special representative would be as effective as having a US ambassador to the Arctic to oversee and coordinate federal efforts across numerous agencies and departments.
"Seven of the 8 Arctic nations have an Arctic Ambassador, and I'm not sure we are there yet," she said on Feb. 14. "This position demands a high-level official with expertise and Arctic knowledge in order to be on par with the international community, and I seek clarity from Secretary Kerry on this."