Nominations open for Arctic shipping panel with reserved Alaska seats

As sea ice retreats and Arctic shipping lanes open, the federal government is assembling the panel that will shape how the United States responds — and Alaska Native tribes, coastal communities and maritime groups have until Sept. 22 to claim a seat at the table.

The Maritime Administration is taking nominations for nine open seats on the Arctic Shipping Federal Advisory Committee, a 17-member body that will advise the U.S. Department of Transportation on Arctic maritime policy. Three seats are reserved for Alaska Native tribal members, with additional seats for a representative of Alaska Native subsistence co-management groups and one for affected coastal communities; the rest go to shipping industry, marine safety, Arctic business and maritime labor representatives. The committee, created under the 2021 defense authorization act with backing from U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, will meet twice a year — at least once in Alaska.

Its assignment runs from Arctic ports and navigation to maritime safety, environmental protection and incident response. The committee may also weigh something bigger: whether to recommend a congressionally chartered Arctic seaway development corporation, modeled on the one that runs the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway.

Whether reserved seats and required consultation add up to real influence is a live question for Alaska Native organizations. In formal comments on the legislation, Kawerak, Inc., the Bering Strait region's Alaska Native nonprofit, wrote that tribal voice "needs to include appropriate membership and representation" and pressed for clarity on "the role of Tribal Consultation in the process." Some regional efforts want more than an advisory role: the Arctic Watch Working Group, which includes Alaska Tribal delegates, is pushing for a sea traffic management system built in collaboration with regional tribes and piloted in the Bering Strait — "a maritime vessel choke point of increasing geopolitical significance."

Self-nominations are accepted, and packages go to the Maritime Administration by 5 p.m. Sept. 22. Nominations will be accepted for two more years to fill future vacancies.