Expressing Support For H.R. 2364

Floor Speech

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my support for H.R. 2864, which amends the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act of 1998 to authorize funds to acquire hydrographic data and provide hydrographic services specific to the Arctic for safe navigation, delineating the United States extended continental shelf, and the monitoring and description of coastal changes. This legislation will authorize appropriations for studying the Arctic, which will enable the United States to better examine and understand our Arctic territory.

I have visited the Arctic and I know first hand the important role the Arctic plays in the global ecosystem and our national security. I was able to see the impact of climate change on the Arctic. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I have participated in numerous hearings and I have shared the increasingly strategic role the Arctic plays in our national security. As a new member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I look forward to addressing issues related to maritime activities in the Arctic.

The United States has significant political and economic interests in the Arctic. Hydrographic services are important for maintaining Arctic environmental protection, navigational safety, and international relations. Over the last five years, sea ice in the Arctic Circle has been at its lowest levels on record, and there has been a 35 percent decrease in thicker multi-year sea ice. These are symptoms of climate change, and represent a threat to fragile ecosystems and Arctic inhabitants. Hydrographic research is necessary to improve scientific understanding of the Arctic system and its adaptation to the dramatic environmental changes it is currently experiencing.

Rising sea levels in the Arctic have also altered sea routes and coastlines, compounding the need for new hydrographic research to produce updated navigational charts. Because the region has heretofore been relatively inaccessible, information about the Arctic is lacking in comparison to information about other American marine and coastal areas. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Arctic currently has minimal tide, current, and water level prediction coverage, obsolete shoreline and hydrographic data, unsatisfactory nautical charts, and poor weather and ice forecast coverage. Moreover, most Arctic waters that have been charted were surveyed with obsolete hydrographic technology, as far back as the 1800s, and most of Alaska's northern and western shoreline has not been mapped since 1960, if ever. New hydrographic data on the Arctic region is sorely needed. Charts produced from new research will ensure the safety of both civilians and the Coast Guard as they live and work near and on our Arctic waters.

The opening of new Arctic sea routes as the polar ice caps melt also has political implications. Recent geological surveys indicate that as many as 90 billion recoverable barrels of oil and 2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas may be present in the Arctic Circle. With unprecedented access to these resources made possible by climate change, the contentious debate over drilling in the Arctic will continue to intensify, as will disputes over coastal borders between circumpolar nations. The better the U.S. understands the nature of our Arctic territory, the better prepared we will be to participate in the international conversation about the future of Arctic policy.

I support this bill because new hydrographic research is necessary to gather the most accurate data about our Arctic coastline and natural resources. This data would include oceanographic tidal, current, and wave information; depth measurements for bodies of water; information on navigational hazards and considerations; and updated navigational maps of the area. With this data, the Coast Guard and research institutes can inform the American public and government about the Arctic to the best of their abilities. To make this possible, I urge Congress to pass H.R. 2864, to authorize funds for hydrographic research in the Arctic.

I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution.

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