00                       HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 33                                                                     
01 Urging the Alaska delegation in Congress to pursue the establishment of an Arctic naval                                 
02 station; supporting the increase in defensive capabilities in the Arctic region; and                                    
03 encouraging the development of critical Arctic infrastructure.                                                          
04 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
05       WHEREAS Alaska is the only state in the nation that has land bordering the Arctic                               
06 Ocean; and                                                                                                              
07       WHEREAS the retreat of Arctic sea ice is increasing the seasonal navigability of the                            
08 Arctic Ocean, which has resulted in an influx of traffic and activity in the circumpolar Arctic;                        
09 and                                                                                                                     
10       WHEREAS the increased navigability of Arctic routes has the potential to reliably                               
11 decrease shipping distances of intercontinental vessels by as much as 40 percent in the                                 
12 coming decades; and                                                                                                     
13       WHEREAS the control of access to newly opening Arctic waterways is becoming an                                  
14 objective for nations in the region; and                                                                                
15       WHEREAS the other seven Arctic nations have been very proactive in addressing the                               
01 changing situation in the Arctic and have begun to assert their interests in the region; and                            
02       WHEREAS the Russian Federation has recently established the Arctic Joint Strategic                              
03 Command to assert its long-term military strategy in the Arctic region; and                                             
04       WHEREAS the Russian Federation has constructed as many as 40 icebreakers, 14                                    
05 airfields, and 16 deepwater ports in the region; and                                                                    
06       WHEREAS the United States has been very inactive in addressing the changing                                     
07 situation in the Arctic region; and                                                                                     
08       WHEREAS the United States possesses only two operating icebreaking vessels, none                                
09 of which is stationed in this state; and                                                                                
10 WHEREAS vessels with icebreaking capabilities may operate in any environment,                                         
11 but ships without that capability cannot operate in an Arctic environment without an                                    
12 icebreaker escort; and                                                                                                  
13 WHEREAS the United States has an extremely limited capability to respond to                                           
14 medical emergencies that may occur as a result of increased activity in the region; and                                 
15 WHEREAS the United States has no means of asserting itself in the Arctic Ocean or                                     
16 maintaining domain awareness along its northernmost flank; and                                                          
17 WHEREAS the extreme weather conditions in the Arctic increase the amount of time                                      
18 needed to complete large infrastructure projects in the region; and                                                     
19 WHEREAS the potential for energy discovery in the Arctic region may produce new                                       
20 investment, infrastructural development, and other economic opportunities;                                              
21 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature recognizes that the increased                                        
22 activity in the Arctic region is becoming a national security concern for the nation; and be it                         
23 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature recognizes the potential                                           
24 for economic development in the Arctic; and be it                                                                       
25 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature recognizes the urgency of                                          
26 developing key infrastructure and defense capabilities, considering the investments other                               
27 nations have committed to the region as well as the increased amount of time needed for those                           
28 types of projects because of the extreme weather of the region; and be it                                               
29 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the Alaska                                                   
30 delegation in Congress to pursue the establishment of a United States naval station in the                              
31 Arctic as well as the development of critical infrastructure that is necessary to improve                               
01 emergency response capabilities in the region; and be it                                                                
02 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature calls on its Congressional                                         
03 delegation to advocate for the security of the nation's northernmost flank by increasing the                            
04 military and emergency response capabilities in the Arctic region.                                                    
05 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Donald J. Trump, President                                   
06 of the United States; the Honorable Paul D. Ryan, Speaker of the U.S. House of                                          
07 Representatives; the Honorable Orrin Hatch, President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate; the                               
08 Honorable Jim Mattis, United States Secretary of Defense; the Honorable Ryan Zinke, United                              
09 States Secretary of the Interior; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Dan                                
10 Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the                               
11 Alaska delegation in Congress.