{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/king-colleagues-stress-urgency-of-arctic-policy-through-new-legislation", "King, Colleagues Stress Urgency of Arctic Policy Through New Legislation", "2019-12-26", "2019", "2019-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON,\r\nDC  U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), co-chair of the Senate Arctic\r\nCaucus and member of both the Senate Armed Services Committee and Energy &\r\nNatural Resources Committee, joined Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Lisa\r\nMurkowski (R-Alaska) to introduce Arctic Naval Focus Act of 2019. The\r\nbill would direct the federal government to recognize the importance of the\r\nArctic region to the United States' national and economic security interests,\r\nand to put forward a strategy for the U.S. fleet's ability to operate in the\r\nArctic and respond to challenges. The Arctic is\r\nan emerging frontier for international commerce and military capabilities\r\nrequired to protect national interests, which creates new opportunities for the\r\nUnited States  and for potential adversaries, said Senator King. As\r\nthe impacts of climate change continue to affect this vital region, the U.S.\r\nmust be forward-thinking to establish and protect our leadership role in the\r\nArctic, and Maine's people and resources are a key component of this effort. As\r\nthe old Latin phrase goes: If you want peace, prepare for war.' The Arctic is\r\nseen as a zone of international cooperation and we should aim to maintain this;\r\nto do so, we need a strategy on how to assert ourselves in a corner of globe\r\nthat grows more important by the day, and this legislation is a much-needed\r\nstep toward that goal. The Arctic\r\nNaval Focus Act of 2019 would: \r\nCodify\r\na series of findings on the strategic importance of the Arctic. \r\nDeclare\r\nthat it is the policy of the U.S. to develop and deploy Naval capabilities to\r\nmeet the unique and growing challenges in the Arctic.  Require the Department of\r\nDefense and Department of Homeland Security to\r\ndevelop a detailed plan within one year for taking concrete steps to create an\r\noperational and strategic support system for Arctic Naval surface operations\r\nwith set deadlines for implementation. Senator King is an advocate for Maine's interests in the\r\nNorth Atlantic and Arctic region, and has worked in Washington to advance\r\nMaine's leadership in the High North. In September he invited Senator Sullivan\r\non his monthly Inside Maine podcast to discuss U.S.\r\nmilitary challenges and opportunities in the Arctic. In July, he spoke at\r\nthe Woodrow Wilson International Center on the economic implications of\r\nincreased activity in the Arctic. In May 2018, hejoined\r\nUniversity of New England students, faculty, researchers, and staff as well as\r\nleaderson North Atlantic and Arctic policy at the launch of the\r\nInstitute for North Atlantic Studies of the University of New England (UNE\r\nNORTH). UNE NORTH is an initiative of the University of New England that aims\r\nto help the next generation of leaders further responsible stewardship and\r\nsustainable economic growth in the region. In 2015, Senator King traveled to Iceland, where he\r\nparticipated in theArctic\r\nCircle Assembly Plenary Session, speaking to the national security, climate\r\nchange, economic issues that make the region a significant policy priority for\r\nthe U.S. In October 2016, Senator King joined Maine people and leaders from\r\naround the globe to attend theArctic\r\nCouncil conferenceat the University of Southern Maine's Portland\r\nCampus. He also visitedGreenland\r\non a fact-finding missionthat focused on examining the environmental\r\nand security implications of the warming Arctic climate and traveled toIqaluit,\r\nCanadato help usher in the United States' chairmanship of the Arctic\r\nCouncil in 2015.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/king-colleagues-stress-urgency-of-arctic-policy-through-new-legislation"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9962108451873064, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}