The Senate will continue to consider the reauthorization of the Farm Bill. Test votes on amendments may begin today. Consideration is expected to continue into next week. The House will hold a pro forma session.

The Ocean Studies Board of the U.S. National Research Council (NRC) is soliciting nominations for individuals to serve on its new study committee on Responding to Oil Spills in Arctic Environments, co-led by the Polar Research Board and Transportation Research Board. NRC requests your suggestions regarding potential nominees to this study committee. In particular, NRC is looking for nominations in the following areas of expertise: oil spill response and recovery technologies, physical oceanography, ice conditions, Arctic ecology and natural resources, marine engineering, maritime transportation, and maritime safety and risk assessment. This study is sponsored by the American Petroleum Institute, Arctic Research Commission, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Marine Mammal Commission, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Oil Spill Recovery Institute, State of Alaska, and U.S. Coast Guard. If you would like to nominate someone to serve on this committee, please click here to provide his/her name, institution, area of expertise, contact information, and any other comments no later than July 6, 2012. If you have any questions about the study or the nomination process, please feel free to contact Deborah Glickson at dglickson@nas.edu or by phone at 202-334-2024. 

Governments Increase Fiscal Focus on Oil and Gas Sector. Tax revenues from oil and gas companies continue to provide a significant proportion of income for states around the world, according to the latest Ernst & Young Oil & Gas Tax Guide. The report also confirms that many governments are working on ways to make oil and gas tax regimes more attractive to investors. Alexey Kondrashov, Global Oil & Gas Tax Leader at Ernst & Young says, "Over the past 18 months, many countries have significantly changed their tax regimes, which has not only impacted companies but also provided incentives for much-needed investors. Specifically, these changes have influenced government taxes, such as royalties and petroleum taxes as well as general taxes including income tax rates and other general fiscal terms" PR News 

Coastal Management Proposed Hearings Set. Hearings on the ballot proposal to establish a new Alaska Coastal Management Program (ACMP) have been set, Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell announced last week. The ACMP program that expired July 1 was administered by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources. The ballot initiative, which can be found at ltgov.state.ak.us/pdfs/elections/initiatives/2011/11ACMP.pdf, seeks to recreate the program to be managed by the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development. The hearings are the first required under a new law passed by the Alaska Legislature in 2010. Alaska Statute 15.45.195 requires that the lieutenant governor hold at least eight hearings up to 30 days before the election in which an initiative is to appear on the ballot, with at least two hearings in each of Alaska's four judicial districts. The ACMP initiative will appear on the Aug. 28 primary ballot. The Tundra Drums 

The Challenges and Opportunities of Arctic Energy and Resources. The Arctic is emerging as an important region in global affairs and a promising frontier for energy development. With an estimated 25 percent of the world's undiscovered oil and gas reserves, and with climate change making shorter maritime routes through Arctic waters possible, the region is attracting increased attention for its commercial potential. However, the effects of climate change and increased human activity in the region are likely to pose important challenges to its fragile ecosystem and indigenous communities. On June 12, the Energy Security Initiative at Brookings hosted a discussion marking the start of an 18-month research project on the challenges and opportunities of Arctic development. Panelists discussed the various international approaches to Arctic energy and natural resource development as well as energy and natural resource development in Alaska. Brookings 

Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research Biennial Report for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011. The Congressional Biennial Report was released to Congress on June 5, 2012. It summarizes the ICCOPR's activities during fiscal years 2010 and 2011 as well as those forecasted for fiscal years 2012 and 2013. You can access the report at the following link. Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research 

The Future of the Forecast. With the Atlantic hurricane season officially beginning this month, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) is pursuing a number of projects to help Navy forecasters and meteorologists around the world predict storms better. ONR's efforts in funding ocean research are yielding enhanced weather and ocean prediction models that help Navy leaders understand how to route ships around the globe to avoid storms, reduce fuel consumption, avoid Arctic ice flows and promote safety. Armed with Science

 No Arctic legislation was formally considered yesterday.

Law of the Sea Convention, June 14, 2012. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a hearing on the Law of the Sea Convention.

The Arctic Imperative Summit, August 24-27, 2012. The summit will be hosted by Alaska Dispatch and will bring together leading voices in this conversation, including residents from the small villages that comprise Alaska's coastal communities, state, national and international leaders, the heads of shipping and industry, as well as international policymakers and the news media. The goal of the summit is to sharpen the focus on the policy and investment needs of Alaska's Arctic through a series of high level meetings, presentations, investor roundtables and original research. Click here.