Obama Executive Order Will Coordinate The 23 Different Agencies Working In The Arctic
WASHINGTON — At least 23 different federal agencies are responsible for implementing the Obama administration's policies in the Arctic Ocean, from the Office of Science and Technology Policy to the State Department to NASA.
So President Obama signed an executive order Wednesday to better coordinate all those efforts, creating an Arctic Executive Steering Committee to eliminate overlapping areas of responsibility.
"Over the past 60 years, climate change has caused the Alaskan Arctic to warm twice as rapidly as the rest of the United States, and will continue to transform the Arctic as its consequences grow more severe," Obama said in the executive order. That warming, he said, has resulted in widespread glacier retreat, coastal erosion, acidic oceans, earlier spring melting, insect outbreaks and wildfires.
The executive order comes the day after a State of the Union Address in which Obama said climate change posed the greatest threat to future generations. And while he didn't announce any new climate initiatives, he said he was "determined to make sure that American leadership drives international action." In April, the United States will take over the chairmanship of the Arctic Council from Canada. The international group also consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia and Sweden.
EDIT
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/01/21/obama-arctic-ocean-executive-order/22119781/
