SENSE OF CONGRESS ON ARCTIC DEEP DRAFT PORT DEVELOPMENT.

SEC. 154. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON ARCTIC DEEP DRAFT PORT DEVELOPMENT. It is the sense of Congress that— (1) the Arctic, as defined in section 112 of the Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984 (Public Law 98-373), is a region of strategic importance to the national security and maritime transportation interests of the United States; (2) there is a compelling national, regional, Alaska Native, and private sector need for permanent maritime transportation infrastructure development and for a presence in the Arctic by the United States to assert national security interests and to support and facilitate search and rescue, shipping safety, economic development, oil spill prevention and response, subsistence and commercial fishing, the establishment of ports of refuge, Arctic research, and maritime law enforcement; (3) the Government of the Russian Federation has prioritized the development of Arctic maritime transportation capabilities and has made significant investments in military infrastructure in the Arctic, including the construction or refurbishment of 16 deepwater ports in the region; (4) is a serious concern that the closest United States strategic seaports to the Arctic are the Port of Anchorage and the Port of Tacoma, located approximately 1,500 nautical miles and 2,400 nautical miles away from the Arctic, respectively, and approximately 1,900 nautical miles and 2,800 nautical miles, respectively, from Utiagvik, Alaska; and (5) it is in the national interest to enhance existing, and develop, maritime transportation infrastructure in the Arctic, including an Arctic deep draft strategic seaport in Alaska, that would allow the Coast Guard and the Navy each to perform their respective statutory duties and functions on a permanent basis with minimal mission interruption.