Obama to announce icebreaker program in Seward

The Polar Star completes ice drills in the Arctic in July 2013. Built in the 1970s and only meant to last 30 years, the vessel is the U.S. Coast Guard's only heavy icebreaker. U.S. Coast Guard/Reuters
The Polar Star completes ice drills in the Arctic in July 2013. Built in the 1970s and only meant to last 30 years, the vessel is the U.S. Coast Guard’s only heavy icebreaker.
U.S. Coast Guard/Reuters

The United States is accelerating its icebreaker program as part of a newly announced initiative to build capacity in the Arctic.

The White House said in a news release early Tuesday morning that during his visit to Seward and the Exit Glacier Tuesday, President Barack Obama will propose speeding up acquisition of a “replacement heavy icebreaker” by two years, from 2022 to 2020.

Obama also wants to work with Congress to plan for an expanded icebreaker fleet, “To ensure the United States can operate year-round in the Arctic Ocean,” he said.

Typically, it is Alaska’s congressional delegation that calls for more vessels able to operate in the icy waters of the Arctic, and rarely is there much traction.

In the same release, the White House sketched a new observer program in Alaska’s marine waters, partnering federal agencies with Alaska Native communities to gather data on changing ecological conditions, and expanded scientific scientific research projects on Arctic biodiversity.

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