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No Official White House Endorsement of House Dems' Sequester Alternative. Even as President Obama draws fire from Republicans over looming sequester cuts, the White House has so far refrained from endorsing the Democrats' plan to avoid them. Although Obama has proposed a 10-year budget plan to stave off the automatic cuts to defense and domestic spending scheduled to hit in 2013, the administration has not formally championed the one-year fix pushed by House Democrats this week as an alternative to the Republicans' proposals. The Hill  

Budget Hawks Seek Accelerated Path for 'Grand Bargain.' Influential budget hawks in Washington are trying to put together a special legislative strategy for rapidly moving through Congress a "grand bargain" overhaul of tax and spending policies that would avert the so-called fiscal cliff set to hit the country at the end of this year. The group, including former members of Congress who have been pushing for greater compromise on budget matters, is trying to advance a new procedural path that could lead to larger changes in the tax code. It also could change budget adjustments over time to reduce the annual growth in the deficit and may win support from majorities in the House and Senate. "It's being shopped around," said Pete V. Domenici, the New Mexico Republican who led the Senate Budget Committee during the 1990s when a broad, bipartisan agreement was forged that set the stage for budget surpluses in the last years of the Bill Clinton presidency. Congressional Quarterly

Russia Laying Foundation for Arctic Exploration. Gas production in Russia could pave the way for successful arctic drilling projects after new techniques helped improve efficiency during the region's harsh winters. The creation of Russia's first LNG plant has meant overcoming a number of obstacles similar to those faced within the Arctic region - an increasingly attractive prospect as proven oil and gas reserves decline. The success of the programme - which has seen the use of "big bore wells" cutting operating costs and increasing gas flow - is an example of how viable working in such harsh conditions can be. Andrei Galaev, CEO of Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd., the company running the first Russian LNG plant, said the company has an 800km network of onshore pipelines. Oil and Gas Eurasia  

[Russia] Mixed Soldiers for Arctic Brigade. Russia will secure its national defense in the Arctic with conscripts and contract soldiers. The brigade will be packed up by 2015. The composition of the brigade is likely to be mixed, said the deputy Defense Minister Dmitry Bulgakov. He assures that special cold-weather apparel has already been developed. Exact location of the brigade is yet unknown. "It could be Murmansk, Arkhangelsk or elsewhere," the Ministry commented. It is however reported that motorized infantry will find its base in the closed military town of Pechenga which is located close to the border of Norway and Finland.Earlier this month, an ex-director of FSB, Russia's security service, and a present Secretary of Russia's Security Council, Nikolay Patrushev, said Russia is planning to establish an Arctic base for the navy fleet. "We have made a list of key objects, of twofold purpose, that would secure Russia's national interests and measures of state support to Russian organizations running activities in the seas and rivers". Barents Nova

Shell Safety System Problems Plague Arctic Plans. Problems with a safety system that Shell Oil volunteered to put into place for drilling off the coast of Alaska are complicating the company's quest to reach oil-bearing rock during the short open water drilling season this year. Royal Dutch Shell LLC announced Monday that a containment dome being tested off the coast of Bellingham, Wash., was damaged Saturday night in its final test. Time needed to repair the damage, on top of delays from ice and waiting for the Alaska Natives' whaling season to end, figured into a decision to cancel plans to complete exploratory wells this year in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. CBS News 

Shrinking Snow Threatens Seal Lairs in Arctic. Arctic-dwelling ringed seals build snow caves on top of sea ice so they can shield their pups from freezing temperatures and predators. But shrinking snow cover could threaten the seals' ability to make these icy lairs, researchers warn. The seals need at least 8 inches (20 centimeters) of snow cover to make their shelters. While the mid-winter snowfall rate is expected to increase slightly by the end of the century, Arctic sea ice is expected to start forming later in the season. This means that heavy snow falling earlier in the winter will drop into the ocean instead of piling up on the ice, the researchers said. Live Science