HB 1 Summary

• Declares Alaska's official Arctic policy establishing state commitment to economically vibrant Arctic communities sustained by environmentally and socially responsible resource development.

• Prioritizes four strategic policy areas: promoting economic and resource development; addressing infrastructure and response capacity gaps; supporting healthy communities; and supporting science and research aligned with state priorities.

• Mandates state collaboration with federal government, tribes, industry, and international bodies on Arctic issues, including strengthening participation in the Arctic Council and bilateral relationships with Canada and Russia.

• Recognizes indigenous peoples' cultures, traditional subsistence practices, and knowledge systems as essential to Arctic policy, including integration of traditional knowledge with scientific research.

• Establishes that the Alaska Arctic Policy Commission will develop implementation strategies and recommendations to guide future Arctic-related policies and explicitly excludes support for the Alaska coastal management program that expired in 2011.