2012 House Schedule Looks Familiar. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said Wednesday that he hopes to focus much of next year's legislative work on jobs and the economy and would use a calendar based on regular, prolonged district work periods. In a "Dear Colleague" letter announcing the schedule, the Virginia Republican said he hopes the calendar will "create certainty, increase efficiency and productivity in the legislative process, protect committee time and afford Members the opportunity to gain valuable input from their constituents at home." Roll Call

House Chairman Considers Adding Measures to 'Minibus' Spending Bill. House appropriators may try to expedite completion of overdue spending bills for the current fiscal year by adding one or two additional appropriations bills to what is now a three-bill Senate "minibus" package. The Senate is expected to pass the first of several minibus bills soon after it returns from a weeklong recess on Oct. 31. Harold Rogers, Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said Wednesday that he expects conference negotiations on the minibus to begin "immediately" after the Senate passes the measure, and that those talks would be completed "fairly rapidly." Congressional Quarterly

Stormy Seas for Obama Ocean Policy. House Democrats signaled Tuesday that they are looking to codify the national ocean policy that President Barack Obama instituted by executive order in 2009 - but Republicans aren't going to make it easy. "It is time for our nation to have an ocean plan," House Natural Resources Committee ranking member Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said at a hearing Tuesday morning. "By harmonizing the existing regulations that govern our coasts and oceans, this policy will allow developments to move ahead more quickly while creating jobs and improving the health of the oceans." Obama's order created the National Ocean Council, along with a task force to identify policy recommendations and various regional planning bodies that seek to serve as one-stop shops for federal agencies and industry and environmental concerns - such as offshore drilling, fishing, recreation and conservation - with federal waters. Politico

Extreme Melting on Greenland Ice Sheet, Team Reports; Glacial Melt Cycle Could Become Self-Amplifying. The Greenland ice sheet can experience extreme melting even when temperatures don't hit record highs, according to a new analysis by Dr. Marco Tedesco, assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at The City College of New York. His findings suggest that glaciers could undergo a self-amplifying cycle of melting and warming that would be difficult to halt. Science Daily

Report: Facebook Plans Huge Server Farm in Sweden. Facebook plans to build a large server farm in northern Sweden near the Arctic Circle, taking advantage of the chilly climate to keep its equipment cool, a Swedish newspaper reported Wednesday The Norrbottens Kuriren newspaper said the American social network will announce its plans Thursday in Lulea, site of the operation, which is 60 miles (100 kilometers) south of the Arctic Circle. The paper cited Jan Fredriksson of Helm1 PR, a public relations agency that represents Facebook in Sweden. Business Week 

Russia to Restore Abandoned Arctic Airport. Russia plans a major interdisciplinary Polar scientific expedition next summer, and to make transport of scientists and equipment between the islands easier, this abandoned airport on the Kotelny Island in the Laptev Sea is reconsidered restored. The airport has not been in use for 20 years. Barents Observer 

Second Alaska Polar Bear Scientist Grilled by Government. The ongoing clash between two scientists and government investigators questioning their work on sea ice and polar bears took a turn this week when agents with the federal Inspector General's office admitted that the men's published observations of dead polar bears were legitimate, according to their attorney. But far from exonerating the scientists and wiping the slate clean, the investigative team put Dr. Jeffrey Gleason on notice that, like his one-time colleague Dr. Carles Monnett, they had referred his case to the Department of Justice's criminal division, said Jeff Ruch, executive director for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, which is defending both scientists. There was no explanation why. After 18 months of inquiry, no charges have been filed and both men remain at a loss as to why they've been dragged through an intense inquiry damaging to their professional lives. Alaska Dispatch 

Circumpolar Countries to Work on Polar Bear Plan. Circumpolar countries want to make sure the polar bear will survive in a changing Arctic. Two years from now, Canada will work with Norway, Russia, the U.S. and Greenland on an international plan to protect and research the animals. First, countries will complete their own management plans. CBC News

A Coast Guard Challenge: Arctic Drilling. [BLOG] As I noted in my article in Wednesday's paper, Shell Oil has received several preliminary permits to begin drilling exploratory wells off the Arctic coast of Alaska next summer even as foes of drilling there argue that the severe conditions - ice, darkness, brutal storms - will make it impossible to properly respond to a spill or other problem. Opponents are also challenging Shell's plans for other reasons, including the carbon dioxide emissions resulting from all of the new work and vessel traffic. Some Native Alaskan groups have joined environmental groups in the fight. New York Times Green Blog