00                   HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 23                                                                   
01 Establishing and relating to the Alaska Arctic Policy Commission.                                                       
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03       WHEREAS the Arctic is warming at twice the global rate, resulting in the loss of                                
04 perennial sea ice and changes to the terrestrial environment; and                                                       
05       WHEREAS scientists recently predicted that, in 30 to 40 years, there will no longer                             
06 be summer sea ice in the Arctic; and                                                                                    
07       WHEREAS reduced sea ice is affecting polar route navigation by opening oceans                                   
08 previously frozen year-round; and                                                                                       
09       WHEREAS the loss of sea ice will bring new opportunities for mineral extraction, oil                            
10 and gas development, fisheries, tourism, and marine shipping; and                                                       
11       WHEREAS the Arctic might contain one-quarter of the world's untapped petroleum                                  
12 reserves; and                                                                                                           
13       WHEREAS Norway, Canada, Russia, and Denmark are making or preparing to make                                     
14 claims to the Arctic seafloor under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and                             
15 are increasing their scientific research on and offshore exploration for minerals and oil and                           
16 gas; and                                                                                                                

01       WHEREAS Canada and Russia are increasing their military presence in the Arctic                                  
02 and are planning to build infrastructure to support that increased military presence; and                               
03       WHEREAS both Arctic and non-Arctic countries are increasing their presence in the                               
04 Arctic and are building or planning to build additional infrastructure, including ports, safe                           
05 harbors, search and rescue centers, and icebreakers and other Arctic-capable vessels; and                               
06       WHEREAS the waters of Northern Alaska are of national security and strategic                                    
07 importance to the United States and the state; and                                                                      
08       WHEREAS, because of national security concerns, the United States Coast Guard is                                
09 increasing its presence in the North and has plans to build new infrastructure to support its                           
10 heightened activity, including housing and office facilities and possibly including a deepwater                         
11 port; and                                                                                                               
12       WHEREAS Northern Alaska contains important mineral and other resources, both in                                 
13 state waters and on the outer continental shelf; and                                                                    
14       WHEREAS local communities, businesses, the state, and the natural resources that                                
15 local communities, businesses, and the state rely on will be affected by commercial activities                          
16 and resource development in the Arctic; and                                                                             
17       WHEREAS climate changes in the Arctic affect the habitat, accessibility, and                                    
18 viability of fish and wildlife species that local communities rely on for nutritional and cultural                      
19 purposes; and                                                                                                           
20       WHEREAS Norway, Canada, Russia, Denmark, and other countries have formal                                        
21 Arctic policies on or strategies for future development in the Arctic; and                                              
22       WHEREAS the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut have developed a shared                                   
23 northern vision to guide development in the Canadian Arctic; and                                                        
24       WHEREAS this state is the only Arctic state in the United States; and                                           
25       WHEREAS the state does not have a comprehensive plan for the northern waters of                                 
26 Alaska; and                                                                                                             
27       WHEREAS the state does not have a comprehensive Arctic policy; and                                            
28       WHEREAS a comprehensive policy to address the Arctic areas of the state, including                              
29 the economic, ecological, and security effects, will benefit the state and its residents;                               
30       BE IT RESOLVED by the Alaska State Legislature that the Alaska Arctic Policy                                    
31 Commission is created in the legislative branch and shall consist of 16 members as follows:                             

01            (1)  three senators appointed by the President of the Senate, one member being                               
02 from the minority;                                                                                                      
03            (2)  three representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House of                                          
04 Representatives, one member being from the minority; and                                                                
05            (3)  nine members appointed jointly by the President of the Senate and the                                   
06 Speaker of the House of Representatives, as follows:                                                                    
07                 (A)  one member representing the federal government;                                                    
08                 (B)  one member representing a tribal entity;                                                           
09                 (C)  one member representing the mining industry;                                                       
10                 (D)  one member representing the oil and gas industry;                                                  
11                 (E)  one member representing the University of Alaska, who has a                                        
12       background in Arctic science;                                                                                     
13                 (F)  one member representing fisheries;                                                                 
14                 (G)  one member from a local government or an association of a local                                    
15       government;                                                                                                       
16                 (H)  one member from a coastal community;                                                               
17                 (I)  one member representing an international Arctic organization;                                      
18            (4)  one member representing the executive branch of state government,                                       
19 appointed by the Governor; and be it                                                                                    
20       FURTHER RESOLVED that a vacancy on the commission shall be filled in the                                        
21 manner of the original appointment; and be it                                                                           
22       FURTHER RESOLVED that the representatives on the commission shall select one                                    
23 cochair from the representative members, and the senators on the commission shall select one                            
24 cochair from the senator members; and the cochairs may assign staff to provide support to the                           
25 commission; and be it                                                                                                   
26       FURTHER RESOLVED that the public members and, if the member representing                                        
27 the federal government does not receive reimbursement for expenses from the federal                                     
28 government, the federal government member of the commission may receive per diem and                                    
29 travel expenses authorized for boards and commissions under AS 39.20.180; and be it                                     
30       FURTHER RESOLVED that the commission may meet during and between                                                
31 legislative sessions, and the duties of the commission include the following:                                           

01            (1)  conduct hearings and take public testimony throughout the state to fulfill                              
02 the purpose of the commission;                                                                                          
03            (2)  develop an Arctic policy for the state and produce a strategy for the                                   
04 implementation of an Arctic policy; and be it                                                                           
05       FURTHER RESOLVED that the commission shall provide recommendations                                              
06 regarding Arctic policy and shall deliver a preliminary report of its findings to the legislature                       
07 by January 30, 2014, and deliver a final report to the legislature on January 30, 2015, together                        
08 with legislative proposals for consideration; and be it                                                                 
09       FURTHER RESOLVED that the commission shall be available for legislative                                         
10 hearings regarding its final report and recommendations; and be it                                                      
11       FURTHER RESOLVED that the continuation or termination of the commission                                         
12 shall be reevaluated during the First Regular Session of the Twenty-Ninth Alaska State                                  
13 Legislature.