Don Young: Roll Back Regs to 1991. If Alaska Republican Rep. Don Young has his way, all regulations from the past 20 years would vanish - just like that. Young said Tuesday he plans to introduce legislation this fall to repeal every federal regulation installed since 1991, the Anchorage Daily News reports. "My bill is very simple, I just null and void any regulations passed in the last 20 years," Young said at a speech at the Anchorage Downtown Rotary Club. "I picked 20 years ago because it crossed party lines and also we were prosperous at that time. And no new regulations until they can justify them." Politico

Russia and China: Arctic Phantom Menaces. The excerpts of an MoD/FCO report quoted recently in the Telegraph reflect the threat-oriented posture one expects of a defence ministry, but the analysis seems rather cruder than might be expected. The report appears not to distinguish between the general effects of the familiar pan-regional trends and their probable local - that is, northeastern Atlantic - impacts. Policy-makers' failure to go beyond broad brushstrokes has served only to make the intrinsic novelty and uncertainty of Arctic policy-making seem inherently dangerous. The temptation to find reasons to be afraid is a very human characteristic; however, it is also a treacherous side-effect of prejudice and ignorance, which is hardly conducive to sound policy-making. Royal United Services Institute 

Nunavut Loses Ancient Ice Shelves to Warmer Temps. 'They won't come back.' Canadian ice shelves are changing at an unexpected rate, say two Ottawa researchers. Over the past six years, they've seen nearly half of these ancient ice shelves break off. This summer saw the near-complete loss of the Serson ice shelf, as well as the splitting of the Ward Hunt ice shelf, the largest of the remaining ice shelves that have clung to Ellesmere Island for 3,000 to 5,000 years and contain the oldest sea ice in the northern hemisphere. Nunatsiaq Online

EU and Canada Can Grow Arctic Relations. When it comes to the Arctic, co-operation between the European Union and Canada dates back to the 1990s, when the two entities developed Northern policies. Over the years, these relations evolved in parallel, and at times interconnected ways-and it was only in the late 2000s that they became hindered by the seal hunt. Embassy   

Hiller Named Arctic Coordinator. Scott Hiller, former Rockport-Fulton High School (RFHS) graduate, has just been named Arctic Coordinator for Ship-Based Science Technical Support in the Arctic (STARC) at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, CA. The program is program funded by the National Science Foundation. As the coordinator of STARC, Hiller will serve as a single point of contact for principal investigators, participating scientists, ship operators (e.g. US Coast Guard), and funding agency program managers to plan and deliver science technical support onboard USCG Healy and Polar Star. He will also coordinate with NSF, U.S. Coast Guard, and the academic community to provide for the operation, upgrade and maintenance of science equipment installed aboard the ships. The Rockport Pilot

New Comprehensive Atlas of the Arctic Will be Produced. The Russian Geographic Society (RGS), in conjunction with the Moscow State University School of Geography, will produce a new comprehensive atlas of the Arctic, RGS President Sergei Shoigu said on Wednesday. "The drawing of an Arctic atlas involves extensive, serious work." Shoigu, who is also Russian emergencies minister, said at the opening of the international forum, The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue. "We will start in the near future and, I hope, will be able to present the atlas at the next Arctic forum." The Arctic 

Report Finds Gaps in USGS Study on Offshore Drilling in Arctic Ocean. A U.S. Geological Survey report last summer on the nation's capacity to assess impacts from oil and gas drilling in the Arctic Ocean was credible and unbiased but failed to identify which scientific gaps are most important to fill, according to a new report commissioned by a pair of conservation groups. New York Times

Prospects for Commercial Marine Navigation Across the Arctic Region. While the environmental movement has warned that global warming and elevated sea levels would disrupt coastal regions, the may be some possible benefit for the marine transportation sector. Higher water levels that deeper draft ships will gain access to more bays, inlets and navigable rivers. A new theory of changing weather patterns challenges the carbon dioxide theory of global warming. Research from CERN (European Center for Nuclear Research) advises that changes in the sun, the Milky Way galaxy and gamma radiation are contributing factors behind the erratic weather patterns. Such weather patterns may allow for the installation of technology that could produce a navigable passage through the Arctic region. For decades, Hudson Bay and the Upper Great Lakes have been open to maritime operations during the northern summer months. Historical records suggest that several centuries ago, the Arctic region may have undergone a period of reduced ice cover. In the modern era, erratically changing weather patterns may assist efforts to develop a navigable passage across the Arctic region, between the Bering Strait and either Hudson Strait or Davis Strait. So far, only icebreaker ships have been able to sail part way through that passage and with great difficulty. The Maritime Executive 

First Phase of the Aleutian Islands Risk Assessment Completed. An advisory panel of experts and stakeholders has been meeting for more than two years to develop recommendations on how to make marine transportation safer in waters around the Aleutian Islands. The project is in response to recent marine casualties in the area and is being funded through a federal court settlement following the grounding of the motor vessel Selendang Ayu in 2004. The project is being jointly managed by the Coast Guard, State of Alaska, and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. United States Coast Guard   

US, Canadian Authorities to Hold Press Event to Kick Off Maritime Homeland Security Exercise. Leaders from the U.S. and Canadian military branches that are conducting a maritime homeland security and defense exercise are scheduled to be available for a news briefing Thursday morning at the Marine Security Operation Centre in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Military spokespersons from the U.S. Coast Guard and Joint Task Force Atlantic will be on hand to discuss the Frontier Sentinel 2011 exercise, which began on Sept. 20 and is planned to culminate on Oct. 5. United States Coast Guard

President to Honor High Achieving, Early Career NOAA Scientists. Three NOAA scientists were named today as recipients of the 2010 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). The award is the highest honor given by the U.S. government to outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their careers. "It is very gratifying that NOAA scientists are honored by this significant award," said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. "We are immensely proud of these three individuals. They represent the best of NOAA science. While they are being lauded for specific work, this award also recognizes the promise of future contributions to science and the nation." NOAA    

No Arctic legislation was formally considered yesterday.