”What I am trying to do is raise awareness about all things Arctic. I’m trying to allow members to see and appreciate that the Arctic is not just about Alaska,” Murkowski said in an interview Tuesday.
Coming soon to the U.S. Capitol is a new group of lawmakers: the Senate Arctic Caucus.
As of Tuesday, the group was just a nucleus of two — Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, and Maine Sen. Angus King, an independent who is part of the Senate’s Democratic minority.
But this week, Murkowski said, she and King are formally inviting other senators to join.
The timing for launch of the Arctic Caucus is no coincidence. The United States is scheduled to assume chairmanship later this year of the Arctic Council, the group of eight nations with Arctic territory. The two-year chairmanship, which revolves among the member nations, is an opportunity for the U.S. to play a bigger role in guiding the future of the rapidly changing circumpolar north.