Bill would give Alaskans an advisory role in Arctic shipping

[TexasTowelie]

For ship travel, the Arctic is a new frontier, with an ocean of possibilities and few rules. A bill advancing in the U.S. Senate aims to allow new maritime opportunities while designing a framework that ensures safety.

“It’s not very often that you are able to really start with a blank sheet, and in this case, even though we’re seeing stepped up volume of traffic, it’s still a pretty blank sheet up there,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the bill’s sponsor. “So let’s make sure that we’re doing this right.”

Her bill is called the “Arctic Shipping Federal Advisory Committee Act.” It establishes a 15-member committee to advise Congress and the Transportation secretary.

Murkowski says the committee will give Alaskans and coastal residents a voice as the sea ice recedes and traffic increases. Whalers, walrus hunters and fishermen are already crossing paths with more commercial ships, the senator says.

Read more: https://www.alaskapublic.org/2019/12/11/bill-would-give-alaskans-an-advisory-role-in-arctic-shipping/

[SonofDonald]

1. They really need it too

As the ice disappears there's going to be so much marine traffic going over the top it's going to be like opening a four lane freeway in the middle of nowhere

There will be ships running into shoals, reefs and uncharted rocks, the ocean floor up there isn't well known as it was covered in ice since who knows when

There will be problems they haven't foreseen yet, might as well start preparation for them

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