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Moscow Orders Closure of Indigenous Peoples Organization. Russia's Ministry of Justice orders close-down of RAIPON in what is another crackdown on NGOs in Russia. The organization has an official cooperation agreement with the Norwegian Barents Secretariat. RAIPON, the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and Far East, is under increasing pressure after the federal Ministry of Justice said that the statutes of the organization are not in line with federal law and that it therefore must be closed down, the Russian Agency of Social Information reports. The organization plays a central role in international cooperation among indigenous peoples and other Arctic states. Last spring, the Norwegian Barents Secretariat signed an official cooperation agreement with RAIPON. Among the international structures where RAIPON is represented is the Arctic Council, where it as a member of the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs has the role as a permanent participant. Representatives from RAIPON will meet at the upcoming Arctic Council meeting in Haparanda, northern Sweden on Wednesday. The closure of the organization is then expected to be a hot issue among the delegates of the eight Arctic nations. Barents Observer

Will Congress Punt on 'Fiscal Cliff?' A revitalized President Barack Obama is already clashing with a still-solid GOP House majority in a lame-duck session that looks to be configured for the same gridlock that has tied up Washington, D.C., for the past two years. Foremost among the challenges facing the White House and Congress is steering away from the "fiscal cliff" of broad tax increases and deep spending cuts slated to take effect in January, which could push the fragile economy back into recession. Roll Call

NASA: Call for Members of the Science Definition Team for the AboVE Field Campaign. NASA is soliciting applications and nominations for members of the Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) field campaign Science Definition Team (SDT). Response will take the form of a Letter of Application submitted to the Terrestrial Ecology Program Manager at NASA Headquarters. Space Ref

Shell's Arctic Challenges Just Beginning. Even if Shell strikes oil in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas, it could be at least a dozen years -- and billions upon billions of dollars -- before a single drop of it arrives at a refinery. Here, far above the Arctic Circle, there is no network of pipelines snaking along the seabed. There are no deep-water ports. Even docks can be hard to come by. The entire infrastructure to support offshore development in a hostile climate would have to be built from scratch. Anchorage Daily News

Introducing Polar Bear Week. Observing a polar bear in the wild is like watching a grand mythology unfold before your eyes: the backdrop of the Canadian arctic, the vast stretches of barren tundra and sea ice, the frigid, crisp winds howling and this incredibly wise and majestic creature surviving in a frozen and unforgiving land. As they have for thousands of years, these massive creatures are now gathered along the Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada waiting for the water to freeze over. After four to eight months of a walking hibernation with very little to eat, the sea ice formation is the red carpet leading back to their kingdom. It is on the ice that these bears can go hunt Ringed and Bearded Seals and take their rightful place as the high priests in the frozen arctic cathedral. Huffington Post 

Health of Arctic Alaskans Must be Considered in Federal Energy Strategy.[Commentary] Splitting our leaders is helping industry get their way with the locals carrying the risk. After attending the Barrow health impact assessment meetings for the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska where the impacts to health from oil and gas development report were discussed, I am faced with these stories from leaders in the Arctic, who have much concern about the process of change in our lands and waters.  As indigenous people, we have much at stake to continue to be Inupiat in these same lands and waters.  We have many maps that have been presented by the previous North Slope Borough Mayors saying, "We don't want to end up like Nuiqsut!" Yet as Mayor of Nuiqsut I was kept out of meetings that changed the Cross Island deferral for whaling. Current stories are showing many are putting pressure on leadership. Now our own leaders are following this tactic, to break down those who have gone to Washington, D.C., to share our concerns and educate them. It seems to be easier to put down their efforts than to find ways to improve the safety of us all for the generations to come. Alaska Dispatch 

Begich Eyeing Changes to Gas Pipeline Bill. Sen. Mark Begich plans to propose changes to a 2004 law that provides incentives for an Alaska natural gas pipeline project. Currently, perks under the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act, including authorization for a federal loan guarantee, apply to a project that would bring gas from Alaska's North Slope to the continental U.S. Over the last year, the focus has shifted away from that, toward a liquefied natural gas project that would allow for overseas exports. Begich is looking at proposing that the benefits be extended to any natural gas project bringing North Slope gas to market, period. NewsOK 

Russian LNG Tanker Takes on Arctic's Northern Sea Route. According to Norway's Barents Observer, Russia's state-owned gas company Gazprom sent a loaded LNG tanker, Ob River, to Japan via the Arctic's Northern Sea Route (NSR) this week. The tanker, which has the capacity to carry 3.1 billion cubic feet of gas equivalent, or about 63,000 metric tons of LNG, set sail on Thursday from Statoil's liquefaction plant at Hammerfest, Norway, on the shores of the Barents Sea. This traverse will be the first time a tanker carrying LNG has attempted the NSR. Alaska Dispatch

How to Catch a 43-Foot Whale in Rough Waters Off Arctic Alaska Coast. With fall whaling over for North Slope villages and the sun sinking lower each day, whaling crews have put up their gear and now prepare to enjoy what the season had to offer. As holidays draw near, communities look forward to the gatherings that will bring out traditional dishes and the fruits of hunters' hard work. "I've been hunting and whaling for over 28 years," said Barrow whaling captain Ned Arey, Sr. "Since I was a young lad." Alaska Dispatch

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