Arctic Daily Update: December 21, 2010

Senate Democrats Struggle to Set Endgame. The Senate continued to lurch toward a close Monday as lawmakers held out hope of bolting from Washington before Christmas Eve so they could spend at least the holiday weekend at home. Although Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) had wanted to finish on Monday evening a continuing resolution funding the government through March, Republicans were still reviewing the bill. Roll Call

Senate Closes in On Votes for Treaty. A pathway began to emerge Monday for the Senate to approve ratification of an arms control treaty with Russia - one of the Obama administration's top foreign policy priorities - before lawmakers leave for the year. So far, supporters of the arms reduction agreement (Treaty Doc 111-5) known as New START have five of the nine Republicans they need to approve ratification, including Scott Brown of Massachusetts, who announced Monday he would vote for it. Congressional Quarterly

Ocean Acidification Changes Nitrogen Cycling in World Seas. Increasing acidity in the sea's waters may fundamentally change how nitrogen is cycled in them, say marine scientists who published their findings in this week's issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Science Daily

Rival Gas Producers Russia, Qatar Talk Reindeer Meat. When rival energy producers Russia and Qatar talk business, it's no longer only about natural gas -- they're talking reindeer meat, which Russia has promised to export and butcher according to Muslim dietary law. The prospect of Russia exporting halal reindeer meat products to the desert kingdom first came up last month when the governor of Russia's Arctic Yamal Nenets region, where most of Russia's gas is produced, was in Qatar for investment talks. Reuters Life!

Inuit Health a Priority for Next Phase of Canada's ArcticNet: New academic focus on info from health survey. The impact of climate change in the North will remain the guiding force behind the next seven years of ArcticNet, but Inuit will increasingly influence how we gauge that impact and what gets studied. On the final day of ArcticNet's four-day Ottawa conference last week, scientific director Louis Fortier said the network's string of university-based research chairs is committed to addressing issues such as food security and northern industrial development but in particular, Inuit health. Researchers, funded with a $10 million IPY contribution, surveyed the health status of thousands of Inuit from Nunavut, Nunatsiavut and the Northwest Territories in 2007 and 2008. Nunatsiaq Online

Mackenzie Pipeline Ok'd, Now What? Last week, Canada's National Energy Board issued its approval of the estimated $16.2 billion Arctic pipeline project to bring natural gas from the Mackenzie Delta to market in Alberta. The federal approval is a step forward for the effort, indeed, but lagging natural gas prices and a still-bloated North American market still pose obstacles. What's more, the Herald's energy columnist, Deborah Yedlin, doesn't tiptoe around while registering her assessment. She believes the door has closed for good on the Mackenzie project, that the project's failure is destined without an increase in market demand, and that the project's eventual failure should be considered an example of how big projects can die while the world changes under slow-moving, institutional feet. Alaska Dispatch

Senate Reauthorizes Science and Technology Programs. The Senate voted to reauthorize the America COMPETES Act Friday, leaving approval of the plan for science and technology research programs to the House. The legislation authorizes research and education programs at federal science agencies in an effort to boost U.S. competitiveness. National Journal