Tuesday, 21 February 2012 12:04 Written by Mia Bennett

Pockets of melted snow and rain form small pools of water in the the area of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's coastal plain. Photo: Al Grillo, AP.

On Thursday, the United States House passed the Protecting Investment in Oil Shale, the Next Generation of Environmental, Energy and Resource Security (PIONEERS) Act, H.R. 3408, with a vote of 237-187. Though oil shale drilling is ostensibly the main topic of the bill, with its passage, the House has also approved drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)'s coastal plain, Lease Sale 214, and Keystone XL.

The PIONEERS Act was originally part of the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act of 2012 (HR 7), which has yet to be voted on.

Tuesday, 14 February 2012 15:17 Written by Mia Bennett

Photo: Jonathan Hayward, The Canadian Press.

Boris Nemtsov, co-president of the opposition People's Freedom Party in Russia, has spoken out against Putin's stance in the Arctic – in Canada.

He is currently crossing the True North Strong and Free on a speaking tour organized by the Central and Eastern European Council. Nemtsov has been an outspoken critic of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, and the fact that the PFP was denied registration to be listed on the ballots in the December 4 Duma elections made him an even more strident opponent.

Thursday, 02 February 2012 13:48 Written by Mia Bennett

The Chinese research vessel and ice-breaker Xuelong. Photo: AFP

The Chinese Ambassador to Canada, H.E. Zhang Junsai, spoke at a luncheon at the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations today. The Montreal Gazette has an article on his talk, emphasizing the fact that he twice affirmed that China is committed to peace in the Arctic.

A member of the audience that the newspaper reported to be a "specialist in Arctic and northern security issues" asked Zhang about the region, and he responded, "We hope that this will be solved by peaceful means.

Tuesday, 31 January 2012 14:55 Written by Mia Bennett

Aerial view of melting glaciers near Ilulissat, Greenland part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Photo: Michael Kappeler, Pool, AFP Photo.

Earlier this month, Denmark appointed Klavs A. Holm as the new Arctic Ambassador, an office which will become permanent. At the same time, Danish Foreign Minister Villy Søvndal announced the closure of the embassies in Iraq, Benin, and Zambia.

This move gives a strong signal that Denmark is putting forth a more visible diplomatic presence in the Circumpolar North while refocusing its priorities in the Global South, where it will open embassies in Myanmar and Libya.

Ambassador Holm will represent all three parts of the Danish Commonwealth: Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands. He will also coordinate the implementation of the government's Arctic strategy, released last August.

Friday, 27 January 2012 12:32 Written by Mia Bennett

Ice floes float in Baffin Bay above the Arctic CirclePhoto: Jonathan Hayward, The Canadian Press.

First it was server cooling rooms. Now, new, trans-Arctic telecommunications cables might be the next big thing up North.

At this year's Pacific Telecommunications Council conference in Honolulu, Hawaii, there was much talk about a potential subsea optical transmission cable that could be laid under the Arctic Ocean thanks to the melting ice cap. Network World reports that with this cable, internet, voice, and private traffic could go directly between Asia and Europe, doing away with the need to pass through North America.

Friday, 20 January 2012 11:15 Written by Mia Bennett

Sub.-Lt. Jeffrey Paul Delisle is escorted from provincial court in Halifax on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012. The Canadian navy intelligence officer, charged with communicating information to a foreign entity, faces charges under the Security of Information Act.

Royal Canadian Navy Intelligence Officer Jeffrey Delisle was arrested in Halifax last week for espionage. He is being charged under the Security of Information Act with "breach of trust and communicating safeguarded information to a foreign entity" between July 6, 2007 and January 13, 2012, the date on which he was arrested.

This is the first time that someone is being prosecuted under Section 16 of the act, and Sub-Lieutenant Delisle faces life imprisonment.

Delisle has been working for the Canadian Forces as an officer for the Navy since 2008, and as a reservist since 1996.

Tuesday, 10 January 2012 12:18 Written by Mia Bennett

The Coast Guard Cutter Healy crew steers their ship along side the tanker Renda as they conduct a return cut through the ice in the Bering Sea near Nome, Alaska. AP Photo/ U.S. Coast Guard, Petty Officer 1st Class David Mosley.

The isolation of Nome, Alaska has garnered the small city a certain degree of infamy. No roads lead to the city of 3,500 from the rest of the state. The only way in is by plane, ship, or dogsled, as was done in 1925 to bring emergency medical supplies to residents. Now, as mentioned before, the city is short of oil and diesel due to the failure of the Delta Marine barge to arrive as scheduled in mid-November.

A massive storm stopped the ship from coming to port and ended up freezing the waters around the city. Diesel, used to heat homes, could run out by March, according to the New York Times. However, Sandra Medearis of the Nome Nugget reports, "Contrary to continued erroneous reports and rumors, the town's two petroleum products distributors have enough heating fuel on hand for the winter, according to their managers."

Friday, 06 January 2012 09:59 Written by Mia Bennett

Ranger in Canadian Arctic. Photo: Bob Weber. The Canadian Press.

In recent days, two op-eds on the Arctic have been published in North American newspapers. In the Canadian daily, the Toronto Star, Michael Byers, a professor at the University of British Columbia and an expert on the Arctic, penned a piece lamenting Northern Canada's lack of development compared to Russia.

Since he is currently a visiting professor at Novosibirsk University, located in south-central Russia near Kazakhstan, he has an on-the-ground view of Russian politics and the country's development of its northern region. In his article, he focuses on Russia's growing Arctic infrastructure, especially with regard to transportation links like the Northern Sea Route, the expansion of the Trans-Siberian Railway, and the possibility of building a tunnel under the Bering Strait to Alaska.

Wednesday, 04 January 2012 11:40 Written by Mia Bennett

Photo:Darryl Dyck, The Canadian Press.

I received a large reader response to my post about the trapped Beluga whales on December 15. Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations sent the ship, the Rubin, to break up the ice in the Sinyavinsky Channel to free the 100 whales, but severe weather forced the ship to seek safe harbor, as RIA Novosti reports.

The ship sailed to the port of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Kamchatka to refuel and will reportedly attempt to resume rescue activities once the weather improves.

Tuesday, 03 January 2012 17:02 Written by Mia Bennett

Images released by Russia Today shows fire crew trying to extinguish a fire on board the Russian nuclear submarine Yekaterinburg docked at the closed Roslyakovo military area of the port of Sveromorsk on December 29, 2011. AFP.

Just a couple of weeks ago, a Russian oil rig sank off the coast of Sakhalin Island, leaving at least 17 dead and 36 more missing. Only 14 people survived, and the search has been called off to ensure the safety of the rescuers in harsh conditions. Now, in the Arctic shipyard in the village of Roslyakovo, Murmansk in northwest Russia, the Yekaterinburg, a nuclear submarine,caught on fire last week while undergoing repairs. Welding that was occurring on the wooden scaffolds surrounding the vessel reportedly caused the fire. Eventually, the flames spread to the submarine.