Senate Energy & Natural Resources. Ron Wyden won't officially take control of the committee until January, but the Oregon Democrat has spent much of the past year preparing for the transition to power. From Louisiana's wetlands to North Dakota's oil fields to an Alaskan liquefied-natural-gas plant, Wyden has logged thousands of miles touring the home states of his energy-panel colleagues. It's part of a coordinated effort by Wyden and ranking Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska to move the committee beyond a policy impasse that stalled energy legislation in the current Congress. Congressional Quarterly 

Senate Environment & Public Works. The unlikely tandem of Chairwoman Barbara Boxer and ranking Republican James M. Inhofe will split up in the coming Congress. David Vitter of Louisiana is in line to replace Inhofe as the panel's top Republican, breaking up the unlikely partnership that succeeded in passing comprehensive surface transportation and aviation authorization laws this year. Inhofe is limited under Republican caucus rules from another term as ranking member. Congressional Quarterly 

Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation. Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV, D-W.Va., is staying put. But the incoming ranking member is widely expected to be Jim DeMint, R-S.C., an uncompromising conservative whose aversion to new regulation and to government spending has made him a tea party favorite. DeMint is likely to set a more combative tone in the new Congress than would Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas or Olympia J. Snowe of Maine, the No. 1 and No. 2 committee Republicans, both of whom are retiring. Congressional Quarterly

House Science, Space & Technology. A new chairman will lead this committee, which will also get a batch of new members as it faces two major science policy items up for renewal in the 113th Congress. Expiring in 2013 are the authorizations of both NASA and the America COMPETES Act, which covers the National Science Foundation; a slate of research and development initiatives; and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education programs. Congress last reauthorized both measures in 2010. Congressional Quarterly

House Natural Resources. Western lawmakers will continue to steer the House Natural Resources Committee, although it remains unclear exactly who will wield the gavel. Amid speculation that current Chairman Doc Hastings of Washington might move into the Rules Committee chairmanship, fellow Republican Rob Bishop of Utah would be a likely pick. Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts will continue to lead committee Democrats. Markey is a champion of renewable energy and a frequent critic of nuclear power and the oil industry, which puts him at odds with the panel's GOP majority. Congressional Quarterly

House Energy & Commerce. Committee Republicans approved countless measures in the current Congress signaling their displeasure with the Obama administration's energy and environment policies and health care overhaul. They're expected to pick up where they left off in the next Congress. The defeat of Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., in his primary makes room for an up-and-coming Republican, such as Lee Terry of Nebraska or Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, to ascend the leadership ladder. The opening could also launch a game of musical chairmanships if one of the current subcommittee leaders decides to pursue a more high-profile position. Congressional Quarterly

House Appropriations. The Appropriations Committee will remain at the center of bitter fights in the House over spending, with the GOP majority intent on whittling federal operating expenses even after two solid years of slimming down discretionary spending. Absent a larger post-election agreement between Democrats and Republicans, the 113th Congress likely will see a reprise of the battles fought in the previous Congress. Still, appropriators are likely to seek bipartisan accord where possible on bills, something that is far more likely on measures such as the Military Construction-VA spending plan than on perennially divisive bills on health, labor and environmental programs. Congressional Quarterly

Other Arctic News:

A Mushroom Cloud on the Horizon for Arctic. Russia's military and political leaders are planning to beef up security at the country's last remaining nuclear test site on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. Through 2013, the region will see the deployment of MiG-31 supersonic interceptors, while the Northern Fleet will be on permanent combat duty just off the coast. In Soviet times, such measures were always a sign that full-scale nuclear testing was about to be underway. In 1963, the leaders of the Soviet Union and the United States signed a treaty banning nuclear tests in three environments: the atmosphere, outer space, and under water. Restrictions were also imposed on the strength of test devices. When the agreement was signed, Novaya Zemlya in the Arctic Ocean switched exclusively to underground testing, which rules out the possibility of radioactive contamination. Russia & Indian Report

Shell Trying to Get Out of Arctic After Ending Drilling Season. More than a week after completing its preliminary oil and gas drilling operations, Royal Dutch Shell is trying to get its equipment out of the rapidly freezing Alaska Arctic. Popular Mechanics reports that as of Tuesday, "some of the oil giant's vessels are still in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas north of the Alaska coast -- and the winter ice is forming." The magazine website adds: "While the ice doesn't pose any near-term danger, the delay highlights the logistical challenges facing Shell as it launches the first offshore Arctic drilling to take place in U.S. waters since the 1990s." Alaska Dispatch 

Canadian Archeologist Looks for Viking Presence in Arctic. Canadian archaeologist Pat Sutherland has spent the last 13 years studying artifacts found on Canada's mainland and Baffin Island. Sutherland is searching for evidence that might prove a link between Viking travelers and the Dorset people, a culture that inhabited parts of Canada 2,000 years before Alaska's Inuit moved in. According to the BBC, Sutherland has uncovered Norse artifacts akin to ones made in Greenland and other European Viking sites. She told the BBC, "There are three groups of artifacts found over a 1,500 km of coastline from north Baffin to northern Labrador from sites that were occupied by the Dorset people that suggest a Norse presence." Among the three groups were a cord made of animal hair, similar to ones found in Greenland; notched sticks thought to be used in trading or as calendars by Vikings; and objects called whetestones, used for tool sharpening. Alaska Dispatch

Health Minister Should Not Head Arctic Council: Bevington. Western Arctic MP Dennis Bevington is standing by his position that the Foreign Affairs Minister should be chair of the next Arctic Council, and not Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq.The NDP member said the issues facing all the Arctic Council countries are international in scope and require a higher profile.  "When it comes to the Arctic, it's an issue that the whole world is turning its head to. In Great Britain, whether it's in China, whether it's in Singapore, all over the world people are conscious that the Arctic is changing so rapidly, and there has to be an international response to that." HQ Yellowknife 

U.S.-Canada Northern Oil and Gas Research Forum (2012) Northern Oil and Gas Research Forum 2012, November 13-15, 2012. The Northern Oil and Gas Research Forum is a biannual event with representation from government, industry, academia, Aboriginal groups, and northerners from both Canada and the United States. The forum provides an opportunity for United States and Canadian decision makers, regulators, Aboriginals, industry members, non-governmental organizations and scientists to discuss current scientific research and future directions for northern oil and gas activities. The focus is on technical, scientific, and engineering research that can be applied to support management and regulatory processes related to oil and gas exploration and development in the North. The North Slope Science Initiative and the U.S. Department of the Interior is hosting, in partnership with our counterparts in Canada and the United States, the third United States - Canada Northern Oil and Gas Research Forum from November 13 to 15, 2012, at the Hilton Hotel, Anchorage, Alaska. The Forum will showcase the value of Northern scientific research in support of sound decision-making for oil and gas management. 

Arctic Technology Conference, December 3-5, 2012. The burgeoning Arctic arena offers a host of opportunities for companies that can solve the complex environmental, physical and regulatory challenges it presents. ATC 2012 will include a highly specialized technical program, education courses, networking events, and an exhibition - all deisgned to help ensure that oil and gas professionals throughout the world are prepared to succeed in these challenging Arctic arenas.

Arctic Transportation Infrastructure: Response Capacity and Sustainable Development in the Arctic, December 3-6, 2012. The Arctic Council's Sustainable Development Working Group approved a project during the Swedish Chairmanship (co-led by the United States and Iceland) to assess transportation infrastructure. The Arctic Marine and Aviation Transportation Infrastructure Initiative (AMATII) seeks to evaluate Northern infrastructure -ports, airports, and response capability - by inventorying maritime and aviation assets in the Arctic. As part of this project, the Institute of the North is hosting an Arctic transportation infrastructure conference 3-6 December at the Icelandair Hotel Natura in Reykjavik, Iceland. The conference theme is "Response Capacity and Sustainable Development in the Arctic." Participants will include policy makers and government officials; aviation and marine subject matter experts from the private, public, independent and academic sectors; as well as community leaders and Permanent Participants.

AGU Fall Meeting, December 3-7, 2012. The American Geophysical Union hosts in fall meeting in San Francisco. Roughly 20,000 scientists will be in attendance. On December 3rd, there will be a town hall meeting entitled "Scientific Drilling in the Polar Regions."The U.S. Ice Drilling Program Office (IDPO) is organizing a Town Hall meeting at the Fall AGU Meeting entitled "TH15G Scientific Drilling in the Polar Regions". Ice sheets and ocean sediments hold important climate evidence from the past. International collaboration for drilling in the polar regions requires coordination between science, technology, and logistics.  The research community is invited to hear updates on recent planning by the IDPO/IDDO, IPICS, ANDRILL, IODP, SCAR-ACE, and WAIS initiatives. Opportunities for community involvement in interdisciplinary planning will be highlighted and input solicited.

28th Wakefield Symposium: Responses of Arctic Marine Ecosystems to Climate Change, March 26-29, 2013. This symposium seeks to advance our understanding of responses of arctic marine ecosystems to climate change at all trophic levels, by documenting and forecasting changes in environmental processes

and species responses to those changes. Presentations will focus on collaborative approaches to understanding and managing living marine resources in a changing Arctic, and to managing human responses to changing arctic marine ecosystems. Hosted by Alaska Sea Grant and sponsors. Call for abstracts, due November 30, 2012.